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MRS. ADA HAVEN MATEER. 



SIEGE DAYS 



Personal Experiences of American Women and 
Children During the Peking Siege 



BY 



MRS. A. H. MATEER 







NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO 
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 

LONDON AND EDINBURGH 






f\^ 



COPYRIGHT I 9 


03 


BY F L EMI NG 


H. 


EEVELL COMPANY. | 


DKCEMBEE. 





LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Twe Cepies Received 

FEB 8 1904 

-> Copyright Entry 
CLASS ^ XXc. No, 

1 r 2 ^ 

/' COPY 8 



Chicago: 63 Washington Street 
New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
Toronto: 27 Richmond Street, W 
London: 21 Paternoster Square 
Edinburgh: 30 St. Mary Street 



TO ALL THOSE, 
IN EVEEY COUNTRY AND CLIME, 

WHOSE PRAYEES 

DURING THE TIME OF OUR PERIL 

INTERPOSED LIKE LEGIONS OF ANGELS 

BETWEEN US AND OUR ENEMIES, 

THIS BOOK 

IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED. 



PREFACE. 

A year after the lifting of the Peking Siege, the fol- 
lowing letter was sent to all American missionary 
women who had been in Peking at that time : 

My Dear Ftiends: 

A plan has been proposed by which we might all do some- 
thing to help the Home Societies to raise funds to carry on the 
work so nearly destroyed. Those who have been spoken to 
about the plan seem pleased with it, and it is now commended 
to your careful attention. It is a work which only we can do 
and which we can only do now. 

We have received wonderful mercies. The larger ones have 
already been given to the world, but not the countless little 
ones that made up our daily life during that summer of 1900. 
Let us gather up these fragments, after the great miracle, that 
nothing be lost. Let us record them now * ' lest we forget. ' ' 

The plan is that every lady and child among the American 
missionaries should write on some subject. Of course, children 
are not limited to any subject. Let their little hands pick up 
all the crumbs they can. 

Some will object that enough books have already been writ- 
ten on the siege, as they have, on the causes of the uprising, 
its statistics, diaries of the siege, etc.; but nothing exactly like 
this. This is to give the small details of daily life, a record 
of little daily mercies, which cannot but be interesting to Chris- 
tian women, and which would otherwise die in oblivion. 

Let us all pray for the blessing of God upon the book, that 
His name may be glorified by it. 

The above letter will show the way and the spirit 
in which these sketches of siege life were collected. 
This book is not intended to be a complete history of the 

7 



8 • PREFACE 

siege, but lets one read between the lines in accounts 
already published the little bits that went to make up 
the daily life of the women and children during the 
siege. 

It will give also enough of extracts from letters written 
before the outbreak to show the state of feeling exist- 
ing, both among the missionaries and also among the 
Chinese. 

But the main object of the book will be to show forth 
a few of the wonders of the siege itself, as seen by the 
eyes of women. 

The causes of the Boxer uprising, the events of the 
siege and the ultianate results, have already been so 
admirably given by Dr. Arthur Smith, in his "China 
in Convulsion," that we scarcely need to touch upon 
them here. To his work, which must always remain a 
classic on the subject, the reader is referred for any 
gaps in the story — for the developments of the movement 
outside of Peking, for the diplomatic correspondence 
with the Foreign Office, for the philosophy of the whole 
episode, for all that goes to make up history. This is 
the story from a woman's, not a man's, standpoint, a 
record of feeling rather than event. 

The body of the book is made of originally prepared 
articles on given topics, with extracts from letters and 
journals (often not prepared originally for publica- 
tion),, to fill up the record of the days. At the close 
of each week's record some of these topical articles will 
appear, not limited in subject matter to the one week 
in question, but covering the whole period of the siege, 
though the main drift of the article would mark 
it as appropriate to this week. Sometimes the 



PEEFACE 9 

opinions of many will be given on the same subject, 
and we shall have, as it were, a social discussion. And 
at least once a week we shall hear from one of the child- 
ren. 

These articles were prepared, of course, without the 
chance of comparison and mutual discussion, the writers 
being scattered over two continents. In some cases, to 
prevent too much repetition, articles complete in them- 
selves have been broken up, introductions and connecting 
links cast aside, and the anecdotes, incidents or de- 
scriptions forming the nucleus of the article, have been 
grouped with similar ones from others. 

Owing to the pressure of many cares upon the busy 
workers, as well as the disadvantage of wide separation, 
it has been impossible to secure accounts from all the 
women. In order that as nearly as possible each woman 
in the siege should be represented, as well as to fill out 
the continuity of the journal, etc., it has been necessary 
to make liberal extracts from papers, magazines, etc., 
published at the time. All that appears from the pens 
of Miss Andrews and Miss Chapin is reprinted from 
the Congregational "Life and Light," (Boston). The 
shorter extracts from Mrs. Smith and Miss Ger- 
trude Wyckoff are also from the same. Kuth 
Ingram's story is from the "Mission Dayspring" 
(Boston). "Mission Studies" (Chicago), is also 
drawn upon for some extracts. Almost all that 
appears under Miss Eussell's signature is taken 
from the Boston "Missionary Herald." Miss Miner's 
are sometimes taken from one of the above, but 
more often taken from the Chicago "Advance" or "In- 
terior," or the New York "Outlook." Mrs. Goodrich's 



10 PREFACE 

shorter extracts are sometimes taken from one of the 
Congregational publications, but more often from the 
Boston ^^Youth's Companion." The Presbyterian 
^^Woman's Work for Woman" (New York), furnishes 
shorter extracts from Mrs. Fenn and Mrs. Inglis, Dps. 
Leonard and Mackey, and Misses McKillican, Newton, 
and McCoy. But a larger proportion of the shorter 
extracts from Mrs. Inglis are from the Presbyterian 
"Banner/' while most from Miss McKillican are re- 
printed from the Montreal "Daily Witness." 

The Methodist "Heathen Woman's Friend" furnishes 
shorter extracts from the Misses Martin and Dr. Terry. 
Excerpts from Mrs. Gamewell's pen are from the 
"Northwestern Christian Advocate." Mrs. Ed. Dowry's 
extracts are from "McClure's Magazine." Permission 
has been asked from all these to reprint, and the cour- 
tesy is hereby gratefully acknowledged. 

The longer articles are all originally prepared for 
this work. We also wish to acknowledge the courteous 
permission to reprint the maps that originally appeared 
with Mrs. Ed. Dowry's article in "McClure's Magazine." 

We are also indebted to the "Dife and Dight" for the 
portraits of Miss Chapin and Mrs. Gait; to the "Mis- 
sion Dayspring" for that of Euth Ingram; to "Mission 
Studies" for Misses Evans, Russell, Sheffield and the 
Wyckoff sisters; to "Woman's Work" for those of Mrs. 
Inglis and Miss McCoy; to the "Chautauquan" for 
those of Dr. Gloss and Mrs. Jewell; and to the "North- 
western Christian Advocate" for that of Mrs. Gamewell. 



CONTENTS 



Preface 7 

r Introduction 13 

II The Gathering Storm 23 

III The Semi-Siege 71 

IV The Siege 123 

V Second Week 183 

VI Third Week 219 

VII Fourth Week 260 

VIII Fifth Week 286 

IX Sixth Week 307 

X Seventh Week 327 

XI Eighth Week 360 

XII Last Hours at the Siege Hospital 397 

XIII Special Providences 401 

XIV Te Deum 410 



IN CHINA. 

Forget them not, O Christ, who stand 
Thy vanguard in the distant land. 

In flood, in flame, in dark, in dread, 
Sustain, we pray, each lifted head. 

Be Thou in every faithful breast; 
Be peace and happiness and rest. 

Exalt them over every fear. 

In peril come Thyself more near. 

Let heaven above their pathway pour 
A radiance from its open door. 

Turn Thou the hostile weapons, Lord; 
Rebuke each wrathful alien horde. 

Thine are the loved^ for whom we crave 
That thou wouldst keep them strong and brave 

Thine is the work they strive to do, 
Their foes so many, they so few; 

Yet Thou art with them, and Thy Name 
Forever lives, is aye the same. 

Thy conquering Name — Lord, we pray, 
Quench not its light in blood to-day. 

Be with Thine own, Thy loved, who stand 
Christ's vanguard in the storm-swept land. 

Mabgabet E. Sangsteb, in The Congregationalist. 



12 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

/ 

Mrs. Ada Haven Mateer Frontispiece 

Facing Page ^ 

Plan of Pekin 26 

Miss Nellie Kussell 32 ' 

Misses Grace and Gertrude Wyckoff 37 

Mrs. Chauncey Goodrich 44 

Grace, Dorothea and Carrington Goodrich 44 

Mrs. J. L. Mateer 52 

Miss Grace Newton 52 

Miss E. C. Leonard, M. D 52 

Miss Janet McKillican 52 

Miss Maud A. Mackey, M. D 56 . 

Mrs. Courtnay Feun 56 / 

John M. Inglis, M. D 59 -^ 

Mrs. John M. Inglis 59 '''^ 

Plan of the Besieged Legation Quarter 71 '' 

Bessie G. Ewing 84 

Marion and Ellen Ewing 84 

Abbie B. Chapin 104 

Ralph and Ernest Chapin 104 

Miss Edna G. Terry, M. D 118 

Emma E. Martin 118 

Lizzie E. Martin 118 

]\Iiss Bessie Meloy 128 

Room in Corner House with Miss D. M. Dow 128 

Miss Jane G. Evans 148 

Gertrude Gilman 159 

Charlotte M. Jewell 159 

Miss Anna D. Gloss, M. D 159 - 

Miss Amy E. Brown 256 

Miss M. E. Andrews 256 

Miss Hattie Rutherford 256 

Ruth Ingram 286 

:Miss Alice Terrell 286 

Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Walker and Esther 303 

Miss E. Sheffield 348 - 

Commemoration Medals 409 ^ 



INTRODUCTION. 
The Modern Miracle. 

Never in the history of the Christian church has such 
a volume of prayer gone up to the Throne of Grace as 
was poured forth during the Summer of 1900, the pray- 
ers of the whole world centering on China; and never 
has prayer been answered in such a marvelous manner. 
Some, who have heard us tell the story of the wonder- 
ful deliverance, say there is too much "God" in it. But 
what is one to do? We cannot leave it out. We owe 
our lives to the fact that there was so much God in 
it. We wish to bear witness to His great mercy before 
all the world. 

There are times when history moves on so quietly that 
one is not forced to think at all of the great Ruler, any 
more than one thinks of the engineer when the train 
is running smoothly. But in times of danger, with 
one chance in a thousand of safety, and that dependent 
on this one man's skill and courage, one's thoughts are 
constantly upon the engineer. There are times when 
God's people still feel that they are a theocracy, when 
one cannot but say, "This is the Lord's doing — ^it is 
marvelous in our eyes." 

The wonderful facts, the miracles, were there before 
our eyes apparent even to unbelievers; to them a be- 
wilderment (see page 402), to us a strong confidence, 
a sure resting place. We felt safe "under the shadow of 
His wings." 

13 



14 SIEGE DAYS 

But some will say, "It is all very well for you who 
were saved. But how about those who lost their lives?" 
We would reply: If those prayers were offered in a 
spirit of seeking first the Kingdom of God, then these 
same prayers met as glorious an answer in them as in us. 
Has not all that is most precious been purchased by 
blood? In this, too, our Savior calls us. His human 
brethren, to the fellowship of His sufferings. The 
foundations of the Church in every land are laid in 
blood. Salvation, liberty, honor, truth have all been 
bought at one time or another by blood, and we who 
hold them now look upon them as sacred heritages be- 
queathed to us by the martyrs. This great land of 
China must also have its baptism of blood. So some 
must die, that the prayers be answered. And some must 
be saved, that the seed be preserved. Where shall the 
line be drawn ? We all know how, though large numbers 
were praying for those scattered over China, yet, on 
account of the critical and cosmopolitan situation in 
Peking, all the nations of the earth joined in praying 
for their representatives there. So we were saved, while 
to these others is given that most precious reward — 
the martyr^s crown. Do you think there is one among 
them who would change places with us ? We shall live 
out our little term of service here on earth. But they 
will work on in China forever. 

But you will say, "How about their friends? Death 
made quick work with the martyrs, but the friends will 
bear around a life-long sorrow." Perhaps so. We cer- 
tainly felt, when in danger, that we were really having 
an easier time than our friends who were in suspense 
about us. Yet for this sorrow, as for the martyrdom 



SIEGE DAYS 15 

itself, comes a special preparation, and more than one 
mother called that summer to know the blessedness of 
sacrifice, has been willing to offer another treasure to the 
service of the Kingdom of the Lord in China. 

Preparation of Heart for the Crisis. 

The leading by which the remnant, or rather the 
greater part, of the Church in China was saved, was 
a leading as remarkable as that by which the Children 
of Israel were led to the Land of Promise. And as ten 
plagues on their enemies were necessary to prepare their 
hearts to follow an unseen leader, so to our poor feeble 
church came a special preparation of heart, for doing 
or for bearing, for service or for sacrifice. But it came, 
not in the line of plagues, but a sweet and wonderful 
outpouring of the Spirit. During the late winter, re- 
vival meetings were held in the M. E. University in 
Peking, meetings of great power. The theological stud- 
ents of the American Board in Tungchou went up to 
attend these meetings and came back with their hearts 
on fire. On their return, the foreign missionaries at 
that place, themselves having previously had special 
heart preparation, commenced a series of meetings. After 
a few meetings the Spirit came with power — these proud, 
reserved Chinese yielded, and in weeping and sobbing 
confessed sin, and entered a new life of more devoted 
consecration, each one as he found peace, helping others 
still unsatisfied. The regular exercises of both college 
and seminary were suspended, that they might, with 
undivided mind, seek this most precious education of 
heart. After three or four days of such meetings, in- 
vitations were sent out to all neighboring stations and 



16 SIEGE DAYS 

nearly a hundred came and met with them for two or 
three days. Afterwards, wishing to spread the light 
still further, the students went out, two by two, among 
all the outstations of the missions within a day^s jour- 
ney of Tungchou, as well as the important centers 
of work — Peking, Tientsin and Paotingfu. The work in 
these places was as in Tungchou, for the quickening 
of the church members; and nearly six hundred were 
reached. After a week^s work these young apostles re- 
turned with glowing faces, to tell of the Spirit's power. 
Does it not seem like the old story, of the sending out 
two by two to the places where the Master was soon to 
go ? The watchword of the meeting, "What would Jesus 
do,'' and the hymn, especially translated by Miss Miner 
for this occasion, both seemed an especial preparation 
of heart for what was to follow. So they sang: 

"I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, 

Over mountain or plain or sea; 
I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord, 

I'll be what you want me to be." 

And we at Peking, in the American Board Mission, 
both in these revival meetings and in some that had 
preceded them, sang also : 

"Where He leads me I will follow, 

' y 

I will follow, follow all the way." 
Little any one knew where the Lord would have us to 

go, to follow. All that was required of any of us was 

that he should be willing to be led. 

We had often thought that sooner or later, when the 

great enemy saw we were really making inroads on 

his kingdo*m and when the Master saw His church was 



SIEGE DAYS * 17 

able to bear it, persecution must arise. But we had not 
before thought the time would be so accelerated. 

How often have we heard the prayer — 'Prepare us 
for what Thou art preparing for us/^ How perfectly 
this was done the heart experiences here recorded will 
testify. Not only was the prayer* "That Thou wouldst 
keep them strong and brave" thus answered by giving 
a new spirit to the weak church members, but in our 
own hearts that other petition, "Be peace and happiness 
and rest/' was also to be fulfilled. It is sometimes easier 
to be brave than to be peaceful in times of danger. 

We are often asked how we felt during the siege. 
As this story is to be a record more of feeling than 
of events, we will begin at the beginning. A native pas- 
tor, who was beaten two hundred blows during the 
troubles in Shantung, told me that up to about twenty 
blows, each hurt more than the last, but after that, 
sensibility decreased, until at last the flesh became in- 
sensible. So it seemed to be with us. We should have 
been overwhelmed had we gone into the thick of the 
danger, with our poor flock, we and they alike unpre- 
pared. But one alarm followed on another, each a little 
nearer, and so by degrees we became prepared, until 
when the crisis came, we could be calm. At the coup 
d'etat in 1898 we were moved with indignation, and felt 
a political crisis more serious yet must follow. Then we 
heard of the persecution of the native Christians in 
Shantung, and thought of the early martyrs of our own 
race. Then the murder of Mr. Brooks in Shantung 
filled us with horror, and the words would come to our 



^See Margaret Sangster's hymn at beginning. 



18 SIEGE DAYS 

minds, "Avenge, Lord, thy slaughtered saints." How 
little we thought how much nearer, as well as more 
widespread, would be the application of those lines of 
Milton! 

These things seemed to make the thought of persecu- 
tion and martyrdom a thing not separated from us by 
centuries of time, or half a continent of space — it was 
now, and in just the adjoining province. As time sped 
on mails from Shantung became more full and urgent 
in appeals to the Foreign office, and now as we were 
more prepared for it, a new terror arose, and we began 
to hear of troubles in the borders of our own province 
where it joined Shantung. Boxers were drilling there, 
near our own out-stations. 

If you ask how it felt now — from this time on it 
was an increasing flood of sympathy, as we heard of 
members of our own flock being intimidated into giving 
great sums of money (great for them) to the Boxers 
to spare their lives. Then sympathy changed to fear 
as we heard of personal violence, a helper in the London 
Mission being tied up by his thumbs, women being in- 
sulted and children forced to join the Boxers. Then 
we heard of Boxers drilling in all our country districts, 
who threatened loudly the lives of the foreigners, how 
they were all to be swept into the sea, and how, after 
that, the secondary devils (the Chinese Christians) were 
to be destroyed. 

As time went on, and the troubles came nearer, refu- 
gees began pouring in with tales ever more alarming. 
Places must be found for them. Do you ask now how it 
feels to know that these weak and helpless ones are being 
hounded to death, and oneself powerless to help? It 



SIEGE DAYS 19 

is awful ! It pulls at one's heartstrings, especially the 
thought that such muy be the fate of the Chinese en- 
trusted to one's own care. It is fear, dread, 
horror, each day as much as one can bear, until each day 
we wondered why we were so much moved by the first 
feeble rumors, when this seemed so much more terrible. 
Thus we were gradually led on. Then we heard rumors 
about foreigners at Paotingfu having been attacked in 
fleeing, and our blood seemed frozen with horror. 

After this anything that came would seem as a matter 
of course. So when we heard of the Chinese soldiers 
coming into the city in large numbers, it only seemed 
one of the things to be expected. And when we heard 
of Christians being killed in a village not far away it 
seemed a part of the same thing. One could believe 
anything. One dreadful night the mobs went shouting 
up and down the streets near the legations. When 
asked in the morning if one had heard them, one could 
say calmly, "Yes." And if any one had come in and said : 
"And your houses are to be looted," one would have 
said "Yes.'^ And then if some one should say, "And 
your Christians are to be killed," one would still accept 
it as a possibility and say "Yes." And if some one had 
added, "And they are at the gates now waiting to kiU 
you and every one inside," the answer would still have 
been the same unsurprised "Yes." This was the first of 
the special providences of the siege, the bringing on of 
the horrors in just such a way that finally, when the awful 
strain came, there was really no strain — everything 
was a matter of course — the new order of things was on. 
Events must be simply accepted with no storm and 



20 SIEGE DAYS 

stress, just a readiness to follow whatever leading 
seemed best. 

And how about those others for whom the prayer 
seems to be, though in a different sense from the one 
originally meant, 

"Let Heaven above their pathway pour 
A radiance from its open door,^' 

those to whom the gates of glory opened to let them 
through ? May we not believe that for them there came 
more abundant preparation for what lay before them? 
In fact, one has evidence of this in their letters, etc. 
Well does the writer remember sitting with one of these, 
Miss Mary Morrill, on the sea shore at Pei Tai Ho, in 
the early autumn of 1899. We were playing idly with 
the sand, letting it run through our fingers, when, look- 
ing up, I saw a far-away look in her eyes as she gazed 
off beyond the curve of the ocean. It was but natural 
to say, "What are you thinking of, Mary?'' With her 
eyes still beyond the horizon, she asked, "Do you think 
if I should be led out to be killed that I would go with 
courage?" Her question took me wholly aback; for it 
was not till our return from this outing that we heard 
the name of Boxer. So I answered that doubtless, if 
the Lord ever called on her to go through with such a 
trial, I was sure He would give her grace to bear it ; but 
perhaps not before. But the thought has often com- 
forted me that He was taking especial pains with this, 
the most sensitive of all my friends, 

"Timidly shrinking from the breath of blame." 
leading her up to the point where it could be written 
of her, 



SIEGE DAYS 21 

"Within this lowly grave a conqueror lies/' 

1 am sure that He walked by her side as she went to 
her triumph. 

''A Light Unto Our Path/' 

But let no one suppose that the peace and calm with 

which we could finally face the danger was the result 
of an overdose of horrors. There was daily, as the need 
came for it, the special comforting that came from com- 
munion with our Master, "a very present help in trou- 
ble," who would mete out the da/s message to the da/s 
needs. In this daily reading one came gradually to 
realize that the book made for the occasion was the book 
of Psalms. As a child one likes the Psalms because it is 
cut up into such small portions. But as one grows 
older and reads for the sake of getting help, rather than 
getting through a portion, one turns to the New Testa- 
ment and rather neglects the Psalms, except a few 
chosen ones, the treasury of the ages. 

They seem to speak of a civilization (or the lack of it), 
once, alas, prevalent on the earth, but now happily so 
long left behind that those same Psalms which speak of 
the enemies are characterized as "imprecatory," and one 
speaks of them in an apologetic strain. But if one ex- 
amines the greater part of these Psalms now character- 
ized as imprecatory, one will see that they are cries to 
be delivered from an enemy, an appeal for help to one 
who is mighty to save, a trust in a mighty fortress; 
and that almost every dark, gloomy picture of distress 
and danger ends with one of those grand assurances of 
help and strength. The bright promises seemed all the 



22 SIEGE DAYS 

more real and certain from the way in which the dark 
Bide matched the present aspect of affairs. The pain- 
fully natural way in which the cloud was painted made 
the ray of sunshine emerging fram its edge seem all the 
more bright. One could, in reading, easily turn about 
the only things that were anachronisms in these im- 
precatory Psalms, translating the curses into prayers 
for our enemies, that they might speedily be vanquished 
by love and led to a mighty salvation; and all the rest, 
except those few verses, applied wonderfully; and as 
time went on, seemed more and more fitted to the case. 
When all the trouble was over and a party of Japanese 
missionaries were asking some one who had just escaped 
the ^^snare of the fowler" as to what passages of Scrip- 
ture had been an especial comfort to her, she replied, 
^^the imprecatory Psalms." Of course she knew her 
audience; and they knew her, as one who would gladly 
have laid down her life to save her enemies, whose love 
for the Chinese was always leading her to make great 
sacrifices in their behalf. We were living in the Old 
Testament all through those siege days. 



THE GATHERING STORM. 
The Boxers. 

The Boxer organization started in Shantung. Its 
motto, after leaving the confines of its native village, 
was ^'Uphold the Ch'ing (the ruling' dynasty) and ex- 
terminate the foreigner.'' Their drill consisted in 
burning incense before a tablet and then working them- 
selves up by g}TQnastics, etc., to a state where they were 
no longer masters of themselves, but became unconscious. 
After remaining in this state for some time they would 
rise, declaring themselves possessed of the spirit of one 
of the old heroes of antiquity. In this state they could 
perform great feats, but the chief mark of distinction 
was that they were invulnerable. Swords would not 
hurt them, and they could knock their heads on the 
ground until a great lump appeared, but never feel it. 
This lump on the forehead became a distinguishing 
mark. It was enough to make one think of the mark of 
the beast and to make one wonder whether, after all, 
these fellows were not right in their claims to be 
possessed. Was this not a gathering of the forces of the 
evil one, for one mighty struggle ? 

And yet, as Mrs. Gait says, "The Boxers rose up not so 
much against Christianity, as against everything for- 
eign." Goaded and stung by loss of land through its 
absorption by foreign powers, and more directly loss of 
means of livelihood through having their carts or boats 
or hand-looms superseded by foreign machinery, it was 

23 



24: SIEGE DAYS 

a struggle against the usurper, the ^^foreign devil." A! 
widespread drought added to other troubles. As Mrs. 
Goodrich says in Youth's Companion: "It was an- 
nounced that ^Heaven would send no rain until ap- 
peased by the destruction of every foreigner and all those 
misled by their hated doctrines and devilish contrivances, 
such as telegraphs, steamboats and railroads.^ To make 
the desired destruction and annihilation seem the 
more easy and profitable, it was added that ^by the rais- 
ing of eight million spiritual soldiers — i. e., men 
incapable of being hurt by thrust of spear or flying bul- 
let — the deed can be accomplished, the gods appeased 
and we ourselves reimbursed by the booty obtained.^ " 

Some one has well described the way in which the 
Boxers and the Imperial army were regarded by the 
Chinese by saying that to the body of the Imperial army 
the Boxers furnished the divine wings. As the whole 
power of the Boxers lay in their relations with the su- 
pernatural, so it was to be expected that they should 
come to look upon us whom they considered their ene- 
mies, as also possessed of magic power. Seeing the 
foreigners regarded their religion as one of their most 
sacred things, this religion formed a secondary point of 
attack, especially the religion which, from, its unjust ex- 
tortions at the Yamens they had had occasion to fear and 
dread — the Eoman Catholic religion. They had be- 
come familiar with the cross, seeing it on the pinnacles 
of the great Eoman Catholic churches in the city. Ig- 
norant and superstitious themselves, they regarded the 
cross as the magic charm by which we derived our power. 
That this superstitious dread of the cross was also 
shared by the government, was shown at the Chinese 



SIEGE DAYS 25 

New Year of 1900, when the old die used in minting 
copper cash in Peking was altered, and in the expression 
of the value, which had been used ever since the com- 
ing in of the dynasty, the character for ten, -{-, was 
changed to a much more complicated form, employed 
on bank-notes expressly because more complicated, and 
which does not resemble the above at all. When we 
asked the reason for the change we always got the same 
reply: "This cross is sacred to the foreigner. The 
churches with the cross on belong to the foreigner. 
Great slices of our land, all up and down the coast, 
have been taken by the foreigner and the cross rules 
there. If the cash has the cross on that will go to the 
foreigner, too.'' 

They must have seen the Eoman Catholic Christians 
crossing themselves, for the Boxers, doubtless seeking 
an analogy to their own mark on the forehead, said they 
could always tell a Christian by seeing the cross on his 
forehead. After the beginning of the uprising, that was 
enough to condemn a person to death. One of the ser- 
vants who came up from Tungchou, after the burn- 
ing of that place, said that on the way he had passed some 
Boxers killing an old man. He asked what crime the 
old man had committed and was told that he had the 
cross on his forehead. The servant hastily turned away, 
pulling the cap down over his own forehead, wondering 
whether the Boxers would see a cross there. 

Yet that this religious persecution was, after all, sec- 
ondary is amply proved by the fact that the first at- 
tack on Peking was on the railroads, and that as it went 
on it was extended to any one having in his possession 
anything foreign, so that men to save their lives would 



26 SIEGE DAYS 

bury their kerosene lamps and burn their foreign 
cloth. 

The Begiitn-ing of Troubles. 

Bnt now let ns quote from letters, written by those 
who were afterwards to be "bound in the bundle of life/' 
in the English legation, but were then widely separated. 
We will commence near the seat of the trouble. 

Pang Chuang, Shantung, September 21, 1899. — The 
Boxers have said all along that they would disturb 
no one but Catholics, but to the East of us church mem- 
bers are being required to forsake their religion, burn 
incense, etc., or have their homes plundered and uten- 
sils smashed. On Monday, the 18th, the news was seri- 
ous, the threat being to come here, drive us out and make 
this place headquarters for a rebellion, stowing of goods, 
etc., so that we all really felt very grave. The helpers 
and native pastors went around with most solemn faces 
and we really feared danger was at our door. It was sug- 
gested that we should have a hand bag with necessary 
things, if we should need to flee, and later, that a trunk 
be packed to be sent to the village. I think the verse, 
"Set thy house in order,'' never meant more to me, 
though we had no fear of life. 

We did not really expect the robbers that night, but 
felt more anxious for our church and our seemingly near 
danger than afterwards. 

A few days after this Dr. Porter said, "In the name of 
our God have we put up our banners." Our American 
flag has created a great fear; reports say we have hun- 
dreds of foreign soldiers under it, that our cellars are 
full of fire-arms, cannon, etc. One woman coming to 



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CHINESE CITY 




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BRICK WALL. 
STREETS. 



PLAN OF PEKIN. 



A. Tung Pien Gate. 

B AND C. These tivo gates ivere, 

bloivn up by the Japanese 

troops. 

D. Ha-ta Gate. 

E. Chien Gate. 

1. Legation Street. 

2. Woman's Foreign Missionary 

Society. 

3. Methodist Mission Compound. 

4. Durbin Hall. 

5. £air London Mission. 

6. French Eastern Mission. 



7. American Board Mission. 

8. French Southern Mission. 

9. Russian Mission. 

10. Presbyterian Mission. 

11. " " 

12. ^(?5/ London Mission. 

13. A//5S Douiu^s Mission. 
French Northern Mission and 

Cathedral. 
Methodist Church: 
16. Tiwwg-// Tamen {Chinesi For- 
eign Office). 



14 



15 



Courtesy 0/ McClure's Magazine. 



SIEGE DAYS 27 

see if we were all right, asked, "How many of your coun- 
try's soldiers have come?" — Miss Gertrude Wyckoff. 

January 6, 1900. — In a place where we had a chapel, 
but which is now a wreck, it was said that before the 
looting took place the leaders of the Boxers had ridden 
on their horses through lanes and alleys, crying, "Kill 
the foreign devils and all the adherents of the foreign 
devils." Then they threatened to go to every Christian 
home and kill the Christians. Those of weaker faith 
might well say, "Is this what we are to receive as Chris- 
tians ?" x\nd we of larger faith and farther vision some- 
times wonder, "How long, Lord, how long?" Yet 
this may be but the beginning of troubles for the church 
in China. — Gertrude Wyckoff. 

The diplomatic corps made repeated representations 
to the Chinese government and demanded punishment 
and suppression of the Boxers. The purpose of the 
government and the peril of the foreigners in China 
and of the native Christians were indicated by the fact 
that, though extreme outrages were committed with con- 
stantly increasing frequency, and though the govern- 
ment made promises and issued edicts, no one was pun- 
ished. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

Peking, January 21. — The next few weeks will de- 
cide whether the prophesied break up of China is to 
take place immediately, or whether the old Dowager 
will recover herself by one of those astute tricks with 
which she is in the habit of bamboozling the foreigners. 
Immediately after the murder of Mr. Brooks she was 
out with a nice sounding decree, expressing regret, but 
it was followed in a few days by another which may be 



28 SIEGE DAYS 

I 

interpreted in quite a different way — the mandarins in 
managing such cases should not be too harsh in con- 
demning societies loyal at heart, who might be banded to- 
gether for ^^practicing gymnastics." Soldiers sent to 
protect threatened places have secret instructions not 
to move, and sometimes even join the looters. 

The foreign ministers are banded together to act con- 
certedly, but will first wait to see what the old Dowager 
will do. But many say the end is now near and the par- 
tition of China must come very soon. It looks so. They 
say the Emperor tried to escape the other day. The 
Boxers are not in force here as yet. — Ada Haven. 

Peking, January 25. — These are exciting times we are 
living in just now and we are all waiting to see what will 
be the next "coup" of the old Dowager. It really seems 
as if her cup of iniquity were about full. Every one says 
the inefficiency of General Yuan and his troops in Shan- 
tung is owing to secret orders received from the throne. 
Sir Claude McDonald even ventured to hint as much as 
that at the Foreign Office, whereat, of course, the high 
magnates held up their hands in holy horror that any one 
could think so. This morning the proclamation was out 
on the streets of the appointment of the Emperor's suc- 
cessor. I have just returned from prayer meeting this 
evening — a memorable meeting. Mr. Ewing first read 
the passage about Christ weeping over Jerusalem. Then 
he commented on the sending of prophets to warn them 
of sin, and compared it with the present situation by 
saying it was the very region which had produced China's 
prophet, Confucius, which is now the region of persecu- 
tion. Mr. Brooks was butchered very near to Confu- 



SIEGE DAYS 29 

cius' birthplace. Then, after a few comments, he called 
on any one who had read the proclamation of the day 
to give the substance of it. Barber Wen got up and pre- 
faced his report of the proclamation by a bit of news 
about the occurrences in the palace yesterday. One never 
can more than half believe about one-quarter of what 
one hears of as having happened in the palace, but as I 
heard it I will tell it. In the presence of all the great 
potentates of the realm the Emperor-elect was brought 
into the presence of the former (or what shall I call 
him) Emperor. Then Kuang Hsu, the retiring Em- 
peror, made the speech he was required to make, to the 
effect that as he had no hope of any sons to inherit the 
crown, he had decided to adopt a son to succeed to the 
throne. Then he took off his own royal hat (or shall we 
call it a crown), and gave it to the new aspirant, who 
took it and put it on his own head. But just at this junc- 
ture a most unlucky circumstance occurred. He put 
it on back foremost. His attention was called to the 
fact by the anxious courtiers and he speedily rectified the 
blunder, but could not undo the bad omen. Then the 
one Emperor gave the other a k'ou t'ou and the deposed 
one retired bareheaded. The proclamation was much 
to the same effect as the Emperor's speech, purporting 
to be his own wish in the matter. Poor little puppet ! 
The old woman was too much for him ! But to return to 
the meeting. Then followed prayers for the rightful 
Emperor, for the people have prayed so much for him 
before that he is not to be dropped out of their prayers, 
even though uncrowned. 

'After a while Deacon Wen got up again, eajmestly 
counselling all church members not to mention a word 



30 SIEGE DAYS 

about politics or the country in the front chapel or on 
the street, as it would bring danger. In my private 
opinion he might as well have said the domestic chapel, 
too (where the meeting was being held), as a place 
where speech should be guarded, for occasionally a 
eunuch from the palace drops in, and spies may be pres- 
ent at any time. Then a rather foolish old man got up 
and said we had enough to think of in the affairs of the 
church, and better not concern even our thoughts with 
the affairs of the country. (Think of any Christian say- 
ing that in any civilized country ! It shows the scar of 
tyranny.) Of course Mr. Ewing speedily corrected that 
advice, stating how much our prayers should be for the 
country in the crisis before her. Then he read a few 
verses full of hope and peace, and we sang "0 Pity 
China, Lord'' ; then a few more prayers, full of feeling, 
the doxology and the benediction. 

I wonder what these next days will bring forth ! A 
foreigner on the streets today met two thousand soldiers 
marching into the city, clothes and arms all new. Evi- 
dently the old lady means to strengthen her position. 
The Chinese are all saying that they are getting ready 
for a war with the foreigners. But who knows ! Gen- 
erally speaking, the thing that the Chinese say in proph- 
ecy is not the true thing. And the fact that the minis- 
ters have not sent for the marines shows that they do 
not consider the situation a grave one. The people on 
the streets show no hostility, and our work goes on as 
usual. We are accustomed to alarmist scares. But with 
our friends in Shantung the case is entirely different. 
There is no doubt they are in real danger. I wish they 
were safe in some of the ports. — Ada Haven. 



SIEGE DAYS 31 

Early in the spring Boxers from Shantung came 
by boat to Tungchon, and began to drill recruits, win- 
ning them easily from the malcontents in the north and 
east suburbs, many of whom before the railroad was 
built used to steal their living from the Imperial rice 
sent by river from Tientsin to Peking, others were boat- 
men, carters, wheelbarrow men, whose business had also 
been ruined by the railroad, still more were young boys 
and street loafers for whose idle hands and brains Satan 
had found some unusually lucrative and attractive mis- 
chief. So daily they went through their drill, or rather 
the superstitious rites which passed for drill, openly 
when they dared, secretly when they feared that the 
officials might interfere. Gradually the contagion spread 
to neighboring towns and villages, and with num- 
bers courage grew, and our Christians received pre- 
monitions of the fiery trial which awaited them. Yet 
during those troubles, weeks before the outburst, we 
knew of only three or four weak ones among our two 
hundred and fifty church members who tried to avert the 
otherwise inevitable persecution by putting up idols in 
their homes or performing heathen rites. — Luella Miner. 

This Boxer movement is the strangest thing I have 
ever heard of. One of the young men told me this 
morning that he went last night and saw them practic- 
ing. He asked them to teach him. They made him call 
out the name of a god nine times, then make three pros- 
trations; then he should have gone off into a trance, 
but the thing did not work in him. He said that he saw 
many who would shake and tremble all over as though 
they had a fit. Then they would call out that such and 



32 SIEGE DAYS 

such a god was present and that he said this and that; 
i. e., they must kill all the foreigners, pull up the rail- 
roads and telepraph poles, kill the Christians and last of 
all, burn the steamers, and then China for the Chinese. 
All such kind of talk fills the city at the present time. 

I heard of one young lad who was talking in a most 
violent way, apparently in a trance, when some one ex- 
claimed, "Here comes your father with a stick." He 
made a jump— gods and all else were forgotten; but it 
was too late, the old man had him down and he laid 
on with his stick till the boy was thoroughly convinced 
that life was very real and the gods very far away. — 
Miss N. N". Russell. 

A boy subsequently captured in a Boxer camp said 
that when the Boxers went to their village and demanded 
sixteen boys for their society, his father said, "You 
will kill me first before you get my boy.'' "Then die,'^ 
was the answer, and he was killed on the spot and the 
boy taken to the temple with the others. — Miss N. N". 
Russell. 

Meanwhile, spite of warnings, the legations seemed 
in happy unconsciousness of the impending danger. On 
May 24, the Queen's birthday was celebrated as usual 
in the English Legation by all of that nationality. Sixty 
joined in the festivities. The dinner was followed by a 
dance on the tennis court, so soon to be the theatre of such 
strange scenes. Talk was of going to Pei Tai Ho, one 
present wrote, and then commented thus on the situation, 
"Rumors of the Big Sword Society, commonly known as 
Boxers, have been reaching us for some time past, 
but they have been so widespread for the last six months, 




MISS NELLIE RUSSELL. 



SIEGE DAYS 33 

and Volf has been cried so often that nobody worries 
much about the stories/^ Only four days later came the 
break up at Feng Tai. 

^ear the close of May the ministers in all the lega- 
tions along the route burned, cars smashed, Chinese 
take the protection of the legations and the protection 
of foreigners in Peking. They sent to Tientsin for 
guards, and from the war vessels at Taku a guard of 450 
marines was sent. Of this -1:50, fifty-three were Ameri- 
cans. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

Forty-eight hours after the marines came in, the rail- 
road connecting Peking with Teintsin was torn up, sta- 
tions along the route burned, cars smashed, Chinese 
employes murdered and a party of French and Belgian 
engineers with wives and families besieged by Boxers 
near Feng Tai. A small relieving force of students from 
the French Legation was hurriedly formed and accom- 
panied by brave Mr. and Mrs. Chamot, from the French 
Hotel, all armed, rode out ten miles to rescue their 
countrymen. Just in time, too, for the infuriated 
Boxers were shouting their incantations, brandishing 
their torches and preparing to fire the little house in 
which the engineers were barricaded. That afternoon 
a little cavalcade of armed men, worn with fatigue and 
excitement, carts containing frightened women, with 
their babies and divers boxes and bundles, appeared in 
Peking streets and made their way to Chamot's Hotel. 
The news of this episode came early to our ears and we 
felt that unless more help came soon our situation would 
indeed be desperate. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

The Tungchou Boxers began their diabolical work, not 



34 SIEGE DAYS 

by massacring Christians, but by leading in an attack on 
what they hated even more, the railways. The twenty- 
eighth of May, Feng Tai, a station near Peking, also 
another station where there were important railroad 
shops, were destroyed, and some thought that, having 
tasted the sweets of burning foreign property and see- 
ing "foreign devils" fleeing for their lives, we were in 
immediate danger in Tungchou, when the Boxers re- 
turned on Tuesday from their crusade against 
railroads. But we knew that the sentiment of the better 
classes in the city and of the highest official was friendly. 
We met the people as usual on the streets, and felt that 
we were in no great danger from the local Boxers. When 
the hordes from other places began to sweep down 
upon US, the situation would be totally changed. — Miss 
Luella Miner. 

I was in the country when the troops came, and for a 
time the excitement was so great I had almost made up 
my mind to try to make my way to the coast rather 
than go to the city. The excitement quieted down after 
the marines got in, and I came to Peking in a closed 
cart three days before we left our compounds. I was 
very glad to be able to stay in the country so long. I 
had a nice class of women for a short time, and I re- 
alized that it might be my last opportunity with them. 

There seemed to be no immediate danger while I was 
tEere, but almost every one seemed to be practicing the 
Boxer drill, and talking about the extermination of 
Christians and foreigners, and one could but wonder 
what was to be the outcome of it all. It seemed as 
though there was not a quiet spot on the whole earth. I 



SIEGE DAYS 35 

had been very much interested in South Africa, and 
tried to keep up with the war news. That, with the 
preparations and reports around me, made me often ask 
myself what it must be like to be at home in Canada 
now, where there is none of that terrible bloodshed, and 
where the people do not hate you, and are not planning 
and expecting to take your life. 

Mr. and Mrs. Killie were in a village four miles from 
where I was, but we were so busy, we did not see much 
of each other. After the class was broken up, I went 
about among the villagers for a few days, trying to 
strengthen the faith of the Christians. My one hope 
was that if the worst came, they would suffer death 
rather than burn incense. 

The storm broke about two weeks after I left, and 
nearly all our Christians there have been massacred. 
Some of these were burned to death, being first hacked 
with knives, and then thrown into the flames of their 
burning homes. It is too horrible to write about. — 
Janet McKillican. 

During these days of gathering storm the North 
China mission of the American Board held its annual 
meeting at Tungchou, twelve miles from Peking, and 
the North China Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
church held its session in Peking. The meeting of 
these two bodies at this time brought from their vari- 
ous stations in North China many workers, foreign and 
native, to meet together a common peril and, as it 
eventuated, a common deliverance, by which are spared 
workers whose experience and wisdom will be needed 
for the reorganization of a shattered work. — Mrs. F. 
D. Gamewell. 



36 SIEGE DAYS 

Here is a letter from one coining to attend the Meth- 
odist mission meeting : 

From our quiet station in the city of Tsun Hua, one 
hundred miles east of Peking, we watched with anxiety 
and interest the Boxer uprising, beginning, as it did, 
in the Province of Shantung in the autumn of 1899, 
and spreading rapidly northward. By the middle of 
May, 1900, the Boxers were practicing throughout the 
towns and villages of the Tsun Hua valley, and were 
also in the city where we lived. No one could tell 
whether the movement would be quickly suppressed, 
or whether it would end in a widespread persecution 
over the country. We remembered that about a year 
before there had been a thorough canvass made and a 
census taken of all the Christian families. Our na- 
tive Christians, at that time, had been somewhat dis- 
turbed, and had asked, "What does it all mean? Does 
it mean that they are going to kill us all?" 

Notwithstanding the disturbed state of the country, 
we went to Peking the last of May to attend our An- 
nual Conference. The Conference was over, and on 
Monday morning, the 4th of June, some of the mem- 
bers of our mission returned to Tientsin. Those who 
failed to take the train that morning found them- 
selves prisoners within the walls of the city of Peking. 
The railroad was soon destroyed, and all hope of escape 
was cut off. The Chinese had said, "No one who goes 
into Peking at this time will ever come out." — Edna 
G. Terry, M. D. 

June 7th. — We tried to escape June 5th, but, after 
waiting at the station five hours, gave it up and came 




MISSES GRACE AND GERTRUDE WYCKOFF. 



SIEGE DAYS 37 

back. If they send up a train for us we will all go 
down to Tientsin, school and all ; but there is no pros- 
pect of it now. There are no trains; the wires, they 
say, are all cut, and the next thing we shall be shut 
up in Peking. — E. E. Martin, M. D. 

And here is one from a member of the Congrega- 
tional gathering. We will now follow them until they 
join the others in Peking: 

My sister and I, in company with Dr. and Mrs. 
Smith, left Pang-Chuang May 8th, and in due time 
arrived in safety at Tungchou, waiting for the annual 
meeting of our North China Mission. It had occurred 
to me that, inasmuch as peace reigned again with us, 
the Boxers might move north, and even when we left 
there were rumors of unrest and ugly forebodings. The 
school girls begged me not to go north. They said, 
"We are so afraid you won't be able to come back." 

The mission meeting at Tungchou passed off most 
pleasantly, and the past and present experiences of the 
church and the native Christians drew both foreign and 
native workers into a very warm and tender relation, 
and Christian fellowship was peculiarly sweet. Dur- 
ing these days terrible stories came from Peking, Tung- 
chou and Paotingfu out-stations of burning of Chris- 
tians' homes, of plundering and even murder of some, 
and threats to continue till all foreigners and their fol- 
lowers should be exterminated. The college premises at 
Tungchou were threatened. To go seemed like invit- 
ing utter destruction ; to remain might mean loss of life 
as well. — Grace Wyckoff. 

I went to Tungchou with the children on Satur- 



38 SIEGE DAYS 

day. May 26th, to attend mission meeting, re- 
turning, however, before the rest. As threats of 
attack in Tnngchou continued more numerous, we 
hoisted the American flag as a sign of protection and 
also mounted a telescope on the roof turret of one of 
the houses. This telescope had been up there nearly 
all last year for astronomical classes, and some of the 
Chinese had been frightened, thinking it was a big gun. 
Every opportunity was taken to undeceive them, but 
with no effect. ISTow was the time to use this telescope 
as a scarecrow, and it proved a good one. The story 
was soon going round that when that big gun went off 
half of Tungchou would be destroyed. This reminded 
me of the yarns we were told when children about the 
bronze dogs in people^s yards. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Tungchou, May 30, 1900. — We know we are as safe 
as you if we are where duty calls. We are here as God^s 
soldiers. I know how troubled you will be when the 
cable flashes to you the news of the destruction of the 
railway to Paotingfu, the burning of the station and 
the narrow escape of foreigners. 

The ministers have not believed us, who have gone 
in and out among the people, concerning the Boxer 
movement. When our helpers were killed, they would 
say: "Did you see them killed? We want facts, not 
rumors.'^ Now they are thoroughly frightened. 

You know, doubtless, how Tungchou has been rained 
by the railway. It is thought that the Boxers who did 
it went from here, as large numbers went on Sunday. It 
was reported that they had returned exultant over their 
success, and planned to come out and attack us. We 



SIEGE DAYS 39 

sent for soldiers, but none came, neither did the Box- 
ers come. 

1 :35 p. m. — A small official has come with a few 
soldiers, but these soldiers have not brought guns. They 
may be Boxers. Of course, we can only wait and pray. 
Long before this reaches you, something will have hap- 
pened. 

We are thirty-four foreigners, wonderfully calm be- 
cause we know God's will is sweetest and best. What 
His will is for us we do not know. I write not so much to 
tell you what will be old news ere you receive this, but 
to let you know we are kept by the power of God. If 
He wishes us to join the "noble army of martyrs,'' we can 
rejoice at the hope of seeing Him whom we love and 
serve. 

June 3rd. — Yesterday there were four camps of Box- 
ers three miles from here and less, and our people 
were sure that we were to be attacked last night. Of 
course, we are busy in annual meeting all day long, and 
go on in our plans of work just as if our country were 
not on the eve of anarchy. — Mrs. Chauncey Goodrich. 

The following account, fl-om the pen of Miss Miner, 
is taken partly from the "Advance," partly from the 
"Mission Studies" : 

It was the coming of two hundred soldiers of the 
Chinese regular army to "protect" us which precipitated 
our calamity. They arrived in Tungchou on Monday, 
the fourth of June, and were divided among our places 
in city and country where danger seemed most immi- 
nent. We were not surprised to hear that when these 
soldiers took their first look at the beautiful college 



40 SIEGE DAYS 

buildings which they had been sent to guard from the 
Boxers, they said, "When this place is looted and burned, 
we will have the first hand in it." A review of most 
of the articles written by missionaries during the past 
year on the Boxer movement shows that they have ap- 
prehended from the first that the Boxers had secret 
sanction from the Empress Dowager, that she hoped to 
use them as militia to reinforce the regular army, and 
help drive out the foreign aggressors who were steal- 
ing seaports, opening mines and building railways, also 
the missionaries who were the pathmakers of trade, and 
who were stealing the hearts of the people away from 
their ancestral faith, thus undermining the state. It 
was the news of massacre of twenty, in one of the out- 
stations that terrible Wednesday night, which roused us 
to flee before the storm overtook us. The two hundred 
rebellious soldiers sent to protect us from Boxers had 
for two days been boasting that their hands would be 
first to pillage and kill. Eumors of the awful catastro- 
phe which had fallen on our southern out-stations 
reached us Thursday morning, and three missionaries 
went at once to consult with our friendly official, the 
Tao-tai. Sending out all the under-officials and at- 
tendants, he confessed with tears that he could do noth- 
ing more to help us; the soldiers would not obey his 
orders, and he himself was in danger because of his 
friendliness to foreigners. We had already heard that 
the Boxer nickname for him was "Chief of the Sec- 
ondary Foreign Devils," "Secondary Foreign Devils" 
being the name for the native Christians. We may 
anticipate by saying that this Tao-tai's premonitions 
of his fate were not unfounded. Since coming to Peking, 



SIEGE DAYS 41 

two reports have reached us, one that the Tao-tai was 
a prisoner in his own yamen, his very life in danger, 
and that the Boxers were using his official seal to stamp 
their own documents. Later we heard that he was 
imprisoned in the Board of Punishments, Peking's 
dread Bastile, from which, during these two years when 
usurpers have been in power, many a martyr to progress 
and civilization has gone to the executioner's block. 
Thursday noon, when we gathered to hear the report 
of the visit to the Tao-tai, it was with hearts sick with 
dread. Just a few moments of prayer and consultation, 
then we knew that before another morning broke we 
must leave those beloved scenes of our life-work, must 
leave the helpless people whom we were worse than 
powerless to protect, for by staying with them we only 
invited swifter, surer destruction on their heads. Had 
we dreamed that sad afternoon how sharp would be 
the search for every suspected adherent of the "foreign 
religion," how ruthless the assassins' hands, our hearts 
might have failed us. We knew that the beautiful col- 
lege building with the museum which was our pride, 
the large new church just building in the city, our 
numerous little chapels and school buildings, our homes, 
endeared by associations, would soon go up in smoke, 
that our earthly possessions would soon be limited to 
the few necessities which we were hurriedly packing, 
but the value of material things, of food and raiment, 
of brick and mortar, faded into nothingness during 
those hours when our eyes saw, as it were, with Heav- 
en's perspective. It was the beloved work of over thirty 
years, work built up by prayer and love and faith, it 
was the lives of hundreds of hunted, persecuted Christ- 



43 SIEGE DAYS 

ians, which seemed priceless, and which we prayed God 
to spare. He whose love is so much wiser, broader, ten- 
derer than ours must have heard that prayer, though 
for a time the light has gone out in every Christian home 
in city and country. The lavas of Vesuvius never swept 
a more destructive path than has this holocaust. With 
unspeakable heart agony we decided to flee to Peking 
that Thursday night, or rather before light the next 
morning, and to counsel our Christians whom we could 
to go with us, unless they could find hiding places with 
heathen relatives. We were more than powerless to 
protect them by staying, which was the happy privilege 
of the missionaries during the Armenian massacres, for 
our presence only increased their danger. It seemed as 
if I were leaving my very life behind during that four 
hours' cart ride to Peking. 

Besides the Chinese, there were in our party Dr. and 
Mrs. Goodrich and three children, Mr. and Mrs. Tewks- 
bury and two children, Dr. and Mrs. Ingram and two 
children, Mr. and Mrs. Gait, Miss Andrews, Miss Evans, 
Miss Abbie Chapin and myself of Tungchou; and of 
the guests who had not yet returned from mission meet- 
ing there were Dr. and Mrs. Smith and the Misses 
Wyckoff. The Chapin family of Lin Ching had gone 
a day earlier. 

Now it is time we heard from one of the children. 

The Journey to Peking. 

On the seventh of June, the people of our Station at 
Tungchou had decided that we must leave our homes and 
flee to Peking. How hard it was to leave the dear 



SIEGE DAYS 43 

homes, and think that in a few days they would all be 
burned by the Boxers ! 

Minister Conger had promised to send down some 
soldiers, to escort us safely to the city. Papa had 
raised some strawberries, and that night we had a great 
dish of strawberries, but we did not eat them; no, be- 
cause the soldiers were coming, and they might like 
some of them. Don't you think you would, after a 
long tramp? We waited and waited for the soldiers, 
and all the people of the station were at our house 
expecting them to come, but they did not come. 

After a while. Dr. Ament, of Peking, came down, 
with a gun thrown over his shoulder, and a cartridge 
belt buckled around his waist. He had with him fif- 
teen Chinese carts from Peking. We had already or- 
dered carts from the city near by, but they would not 
come. Finally five more carts agreed to go, and so 
there were twenty in all. 

That night there was a great deal of talking going 
on down stairs. And, besides, mamma had taken off 
the mattress and the soft warm quilt from the bed to 
pack, leaving only the springs to sleep on. So I could 
not sleep very well. I fell asleep about eleven o'clock, 
which was very late for me, especially as I had to get 
up a little after one to get ready. 

The next morning, twenty-three of us Americans, and 
some Chinese, got into our carts in the dark, about 
three o'clock, and at half past three we started. We 
were not sure we would reach Peking safely, because 
the Boxers practiced early in the morning. 

On the way going up we met a man — a Boxer leader, 
very likely — who looked very fierce, and he had two 



44 SIEGE DAYS 

glistening swords crossed on each side of him, as he 
rode along on his donkey. He gave ns a look, as if to 
say, "Yon may pass now, but you will not be alive very 
long," 

When we were at last inside one of the gates of Pe- 
king, we felt relieved. We reached the Methodist mis- 
sion safely at half past seven in the morning, so tired, 
but oh! so glad and thankful to be with all the other 
missionaries, and where we hoped we might be safe. — 
Grace Goodrich. 

The Scene and the Actors. 

The location of the city of Peking, unlike that of th 
other great capitals of the world, seems to have bee 
chosen for its inaccessibility. What other capital i^ 
situated eighty miles from the sea coast, and yet not on 
a river? And that in a country which owns no good 
roads or inns, or comfortable means of private convey- 
ance ? But for this very reason it is well adapted as 
trap to catch foreigners in. We have already seen ho 
the quarry from outside was driven in. From Tsun 
Hua on the north by the Great Wall, to the Shantung 
mission near the Grand Canal on the south, nearly al 
the missionaries belonging to the Boards represented 
in Peking were now within its walls. 

Let us now take a glance at this same city of Peking 
and its foreign inhabitants. It is indeed a walled city 
a very much walled city. A wall surrounds the North- 
ern or Tartar city, and a wall surrounds the Souther 
or Chinese city, and on its northern side separates th 
two cities. In the middle of the northern city is an- 
other walled city, its walls capped at the top by yel- 




MRS CHAUNCEY GOODRICH. 




<jRACE, DOROTHEA AND CARRINGTON GOODRICH. 



SIEGE DAYS 45 

low tiles to show it is imperial. This is the Yel- 
low or Imperial City. In the middle of this again lies 
the Crimson Forbidden City, surrounded by a moat, 
and inside this a triple vermilion colored wall, also sur- 
mounted by yellow tiles. It is in the inmost of this 
nest of boxes, that one in looking down from the city 
wall can see the yellow tiled palace roofs gleaming 
among the trees. Here lives her Imperial Majesty Ath- 
aliah II. 

The society of Peking is peculiar. Before the estab- 
lishment of the railroad the society was very simple, 
consisting of three classes, the Diplomatic and Customs 
bodies) and the missionaries. It was like an English 
fruit tart, no lower crust (unless we missionaries were 
willing to consider ourselves as §uch). All manual la- 
bor was performed by the Chinese. As Peking was not 
an open port, no trade was allowed. This is not saying 
that there were no foreign stores, but simply that they 
were not allowed by law. Nevertheless one of the two 
stores in Peking had been there nearly thirty years. 
They could have been closed at any time, but the man- 
darins themselves were too fond of going there to pur- 
chase foreign toys and clocks, and especially foreign 
wines and cigars, to wish to close them. These were 
run by Europeans. 

The Diplomatic service, of course, included all na- 
tionalities and embraced not only the staff and attaches 
but students learning Chinese in preparation for ser- 
vice. 

It seems a strange comment on the practical work- 
ing of the classics of China that after all these centuries 
of studying nothing but the theory of government and 



46 SIEGE DAYS 

the ethics of statesmanship, of which the Chinese clas- 
sics are made up, the Chinese government is obliged to 
use foreigners to collect their maritime customs, but 
such is the case. This is a lasting good effect to China's 
finances, of having been helped to raise a former war 
indemnity. The Inspector General, or I. G., as he is 
called, Sir Eobert Hart, selects his staff from the ^^gen- 
tleman" caste of air nations; and here in Peking there 
is not only the working force belonging to the port, but 
also a body of students preparing for the service. The 
functions of the service are rather extended, embracing 
among other things the running of an imperial postal 
service. 

The Tung Wen, or Interpreters' College, is also under 
the control of the customs, the design of the college 
being to equip Chinese students for diplomatic service 
abroad. The professors in this college are also chosen 
from all nationalities, to instruct in the different lan- 
guages required in the service abroad. The college itself 
and the residences of the professors were at a little 
distance from the Legations. 

Quite recently, an Imperial university had been started 
for foreign learning, of which Dr. Martin, formerly a 
Presbyterian missionary, was the president, the pro- 
fessors being of all nationalities. Some of these were 
formerly missionaries. 

Of late years banks have been established in Peking, 
and the possibility of developing railroads and mines 
has brought representatives of syndicates. Each year 
adds to the number of these. 

The railroad has also brought many globe trotters 



SIEGE DAYS 47 

and curio collectors, so that society is no longer divided 
as of old into the three castes. 

Now as to the location of these different foreign com- 
pounds. The Customs, the Post Office and the Austrian 
and English legations are near the southeastern corner 
of the Imperial City wall, on streets running between 
this wall and the wall of the Southern City. The resi- 
dences of some foreign officials are on the street at the 
base of the Southern City wall, but the larger part of 
the foreign community, the foreign banks, stores and 
hotel, and more particularly most of the legations, are 
on the street next to this "Wall Base" street, and 
nearly parallel with it. This is called by the 
foreigners Legation street, and by the Chinese 
(Tribute) Rendering Subjects street. It was as- 
signed to the foreign Legations at the time foreigners 
forced an entrance into Peking. The Coreans, who had 
from of old come yearly to render tribute, had been 
assigned a place on the Wall Base street, and the as- 
signing of the diplomats to the immediately adjacent 
street, as well as the name, shows how foreigners were 
regarded. On the Boxer placards that appeared on the 
walls of the city, it was announced that the name of 
this street was changed to Cut-up-Foreigners-Cock- 
Crowing street, rather a cumbersome name, and one 
which fortunately was never fully justified. 

It will thus be seen that all the foreign residents of 
Peking, except the professors in the two Chinese col- 
leges and the missionaries, were gathered into a very 
limited area. One of these colleges was in the Imperial 
City, the other near the Foreign Office. 

And now a word in passing with regard to this same 



48 SIEGE DAYS 

Foreign Office. Ever since the opening of diplomatic 
relations with China, the method of communication with 
the Chinese government has been through the Tsung 
Li Yamen or Foreign Office. This board consists of ten 
or twelve officials whose business it is to act as the me- 
dium of commnnication between the foreign ministers 
and the Dragon Throne. They are thoroughly well up 
in the art of "how not to do it," whether the matter in 
hand be a treaty granting commercial rights to a for- 
eign power, or an appeal for redress for loss of life or 
property of some humble missionary. They are a fence 
behind which the foreign powers may stand imprisoned 
while they watch the old dragon "swinging the scaly 
horrors of his folded tail." To change the figure, they 
act as a buffer when one tries to "hustle the East." But 
the most accurate description is Lord Salisbury's — "a 
machine to register the amount of pressure brought to 
bear on it." 

But now to return to the foreigners. The above 
must suffice for a description of the society of Peking. 
Now for its societies. In the West City there were two 
English societies, the western branch of the London 
Mission (L. M. S.) (independent), and the Society 
for the Propagation of the Gospel (S. P. G.) (Episco- 
pal). There were also two American societies, the 
Mission to the Higher Classes (Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert 
Eeid and one child, and Mr. Stelle), and the Alliance: 
Mission (Misses Douw, Gowans, Brown and Euther- 
f ord) . In the Southern City only one foreigner resided, 
Mr. Bok and family, of the Swedish mission. 

On the north were two compounds, both belonging to 
the Presbyterian Mission (A. P. M.), one near the 



SIEGE DAYS 49 

north gate of the Imperial City (Dr. Wherry, Dr. Eliza 
E. Leonard, Dr. Maud Mackey, and Misses Newton, 
McKillican and McCoy) ; the other not very far from 
the most eastern gate in the north city wall (Mr. Wliit- 
ing, Mr. and Mrs. Fenn and two children, and Dr. and 
Mrs. Ingiis and one child). On the east were the east- 
ern branch of the London Mission, the American Board 
(A. B. C. F. M.) (Dr. Ament, Mr. and Mrs. Ewing and 
two children, Mrs. John L. Mateer, and the Misses Eus- 
sell, Sheffield and Haven). And near the wall of the 
Southern City, the Methodist Mission (M. E. M.) 
(resident missionaries. Dr. and Mrs. F. D. Gamewell, 
Dr. George Lowry, Mr. King, Dr. Anna Gloss and the 
Misses Gilman and Terrell, also its mission meeting 
guests, Messrs. Verity and Hobart of Shantung, Dr. 
and Mrs. Walker and daughter and the Misses Martin 
of Tientsin, and Dr. Edna Terry of Tsun Hua. With 
these one must count Mrs. Edward Lowry, who though 
not herself the wife of a missionar}^, was daughter-in- 
law of the superintendent of the mission, and was usual- 
ly looked upon by us as belonging to our number). 

CONCENTRATIOJT OF FORCES. 

And now. let us trace the development of events which 
led those from the different mission premises to concen- 
trate in the Methodist mission, and the English and 
American Legations. These many strands are thua 
gathered into three, and finally, as will be seen, this 
three-fold becomes one. 

Presbyterian Mission West, to Metliodist Mission. 

The Boxer rumors have made such a stir among the 
people that all our work is suffering. My Sunday school 



50 SIEGE DAYS 

has closed itself. There were only two children present 
Sunday before last and none came yesterday. - It has 
been so exceedingly dry and we foreigners are said to 
be the cause of the drought. They say we are poisoning 
the wells, too, so there is a guard set at each well near 
us. There have been a number of days set for destroy- 
ing us and our houses, but nothing has come of it so far. 
Placards seem to be false. One of our helpers brought 
one to Dr. Wherry which he had taken from a wall. It 
said definitely that the two compounds of our station 
were to be destroyed. Papers and books speaking evil 
of us have been found in all parts of the city. We have 
a guard of Chinese soldiers at our front gate, sent by 
the Chinese officials, who seem to think the Boxers may 
harm us. The guard is perfectly useless, unarmed. Al- 
though rumors have kept heathen away, the Christians 
have shown a strong spirit. We think we are in danger 
but hardly think anything v»^ill be done to us in the city. 
We feel some anxiety about the school girls. Miss New- 
ton may send them home, as they would be much better 
off than with us if anything should be done about loot- 
ing this compound. We know that we are all in His 
keeping and that anything that comes, comes by His 
decision and that is good. I must close. I need not 
ask for your prayers. I am grateful every day for the 
privilege of being a missionary and having the prayers 
of friends at home. Major Conger says he apprehends 
no serious danger in the city, but it is well to have some 
protection. The other legations have sent for large 
guards, too. — B. C. McCoy. 

May 30th. — You would be surprised to see the general 



SIEGE DAYS 51 

excitement and confusion of this forlorn city. The 
Boxers are threatening all sorts of calamities. 

If the government had paid any attention to this 
uprising six or seven months ago, there would never 
have been serious trouble; but the Empress Dowager 
either ignored it or connived at it, until now it has gotten 
apparently beyond control. If it should go down in a 
general crash, it would serve that old Catherine de 
Medici exactly right. Oh, but she is a bad woman! 
Chinese soldiers are careering around the city now, 
marching out to the railroad station, etc., but it remains 
to be seen whether they have courage and honesty enough 
to resist the Boxers or whether they will not secretly 
assist them. Dr. Mackey's teacher reported yesterday 
that when the Empress was informed of the destruction 
of the railroad she was very angry and said it was "All 
the fault of France; the Frenchman in charge had not 
taken proper care, and France must reimburse the Chi- 
nese government for the loss !" China will be true to 
herself to the very last. 

I began to feel nervous about the school girls. If 
the compound should be attacked at night it would be 
impossible to save them, and of course we would not run 
off and leave them, so I bestirred myself yesterday and 
sent every one away. Those who had homes went to 
them and I found places for the others. Mrs. Jewell of 
the Methodist Mission has 130 girls, over a hundred 
of them from a distance, so that it is impossible to send 
them home. 

May 31. — !N"o looting j^et ! You don't know how queer 
it is in the midst of so much excitement to have no 



52 SIEGE DAYS 

newspaper, and to know nothing of what is going on ex- 
cept by nimor. Yesterday I took a cart and went to 
various places in the city trying to get the news. Some 
people were very optimistic, affairs were looking bright- 
er; others were decidedly pessimistic, things were ex- 
ceedingly serious and no one could tell what a day would 
bring forth. Eailroad authorities refused to give the 
foreign troops a train from Tientsin; then the foreign 
Ministers requested the foreign office to insist that a 
train should be provided. The Honorable Secretaries 
replied that they had no authority to grant such per- 
mission, whereupon the Ministers replied that if per- 
mission was not granted by two o^ clock today, the troops 
would take possession of a train; so, if the road is not 
torn up before night, we expect 400 marines this even- 
ing. I wish there were three times that number, then 
each compound could have a guard and we should not 
be anxious about our property. 

We prepared ourselves for flight last night. I didn't 
take off my shoes and stockings, had money and clothes 
ready so that it would not take me three minutes to 
dress. My hair was done up in a tremendously tight 
knot on the top of my head, and I was going to cover 
that with a Chinese hat of Mr. Killie's. I was going 
to put on my bicycle skirt, no dress waist but a Chinese 
garment which reaches to the ankles. We four. Dr. 
Leonard, Dr. Mackey, Bessie and I (Miss McKillican 
is in the country) were going to climb over the wall on 
the east of the compound, try to get through to a lane 
beyond that, then light lanterns and walk along as if 
we were Chinese to the Methodist Mission, about four 
miles away. We each have a Chinese garment. The 






MRS. J. L. MATEER. 



MISS GRACE NEWTON 



1 ^! i • ffl 





MISS E. E. LEONARD, M. D. 



MISS JANET MC KILLICAN. 



I 



SIEGE DAYS 63 

gate-keepers go about the compound all night, carrying 
lanterns, and they could warn us at the first approach 
of danger. I think tonight we women shall probably all 
go and stay at the Methodist Mission. — Grace Newton. 

June 2nd. — We are safely over the feast and no dis- 
turbance at all. The foreign troops have had a magical 
effect. These brave Chinese subsided as soon as the sol- 
diers entered the city, and no special disorder seems 
likely now. Great apprehension was felt about the en- 
trance of foreign troops; 6,000 Mohammedan soldiers 
bitterly opposed to foreigners were stationed at the city 
gates, and it was feared would fire on the troops. If 
blood was really shed, there would be nothing for the 
foreign population to do but to run for their lives. 
Government had the good sense to order those 6,000 
soldiers to another place, and ours came in without re- 
sistance. Things are quiet now ; an enforced quiet. As 
soon as they feel strong enough, the whole mass will 
burst into flame again. 

Dr. Wherry thinks that possibly this government may 
be bolstered up by foreign powers until Christianity 
shall have spread enough to affect public life, and then 
a stable government may be formed by the Chinese 
themselves; but there is certainly no hope for China 
except in Christianity. — Grace Newton. 

On June 6, we put our things away in boxes and 
trunks, ready to leave Peking on the first train that 
could put through to Tientsin, that order coming from 
Minister Conger. It was a difficult matter, packing for 
living we didn't know where — Peitaiho or Japan. No 



54 SIEGE DAYS 

train has gotten through since that order was given. — 
B. C. McCoy. 

On the evening of June 8th all repaired to the Meth- 
odist Mission. 

Presbyterian Mission Emt, to Methodist Mission. 

May 29. — Mrs. Courtenay Fenn wrote to her hrother: 

We live from moment to moment in constant dread 
of an outbreak. I try not to be nervous and go right 
on doing everything as usual to convince myself that 
there is no special danger, but it can^t be done. The 
crisis must soon be over, as Friday (June 1) is the great 
feast of the fifth month, and the day appointed by the 
Boxers for the extermination of the foreigners. If we 
get safely through the next few days the* danger will 
probably diminish. We are glad to get word this even- 
ing of the arrival of 300 marines. We shall apply for 
a guard in the morning, as we are so remote from the 
other foreign residents. 

Dr. Inglis is sick in bed and unable to move no mat- 
ter what happens, so we are tied down to the compound. 
With a sick man and three little children on hand, one 
feels rather anxious. My ears have grown so preter- 
naturally acute the last few days that I hear every un- 
usual sound on the streets, and my heart stands still 
when a shout or anything unusual reaches me. It is an 
awful state to live in. 

The account of Mrs. Inglis is taken partly from an 
hitherto unpublished article and partly a reprint from 
the "Presbyterian Banner." 

Some time in May a Manchu soldier appeared at 



SIEGE DAYS 55 

our hospital gate. He would not enter, but bade the 
gate-keeper to tell us within to flee from Peking, for 
the soldiers had received two months' payment in ad- 
vance and had been ordered to unite with the Boxers 
when the appointed day for our extermination had ar- 
rived. We paid some attention to this, but fixed our 
eyes on the Foreign Ministers, believing it safe while 
they remained in Peking. The attendance at the daily 
dispensary grew less and less. Often only five or six 
patients appeared for treatment. The fourth week our 
heathen carter gave notice. My husband asked, "Why 
do you wish to leave ? I can readily certify that you are 
not a Christian." The man answered, "Yes, but I must 
not be caught here, for the Boxers and soldiers intend to 
kill not only the foreigners but every one who serves a 
foreigner.^' Seeing his actual fright, we did not detain 
liim, and I never beheld an expression of greater relief 
than was in Chao's face as he bade us farewell. Shortly 
after this, our table boy returned from a visit to his 
mother who lived in the country. He seemed greatly 
agitated when he arrived, and soon I noticed an uneasi- 
ness stirring among the other servants. I called Keng 
Su to me and asked what had gone wrong. "Nothing," 
he answered, "but I have seen the Boxers, and all the for- 
eigners in the world can't hurt them. I saw a man 
try to cut off the head of a Boxer boy, but the knife 
slid to one side and was of no use. Time and again the 
man tried it, but could not succeed. I think I shall 
have to go look after my mother." However Keng Su 
did not go then, but remained until we fled, guarding 
our house at night in company with several ethers. 
Now and then a brick was thrown over our walls or 



66 SIEGE DAYS 

through a window, crowds gathering in the streets, in- 
sults and vile epithets were hurled at us when we dared 
venture out of the gates. 

But the long nights were still worse. The steady 
tramp, tramp of our guards were not reassuring sounds. 
Failing to sleep, beset with nervous fears, I went fre- 
quently to the window and looked out into the night; 
everything seemed quiet, but I felt sure it was the 
deadly calm which often precedes a storm. I could see 
Keng Su, the old carpenter, a charity patient, and one 
or two others tramping about, thumping long poles on 
the ground in rhythmical unison. Chinese watchmen 
take courage some way in proportion to the noise they 
make. There were only two other dwelling houses in 
the compound, containing our only foreign neighbors 
nearer than a mile and a half. Two little children were 
in the one nearest us, and often I knew that Mrs. Fenn 
kept vigil with me, praying over her babes as I over the 
white draped cradle that held our little one. In the 
house nearest the gate, lived Mr. Whiting, grown old in 
his service to the Chinese. His age was reverenced in 
Peking, and I used to fancy foolishly that his white hairs 
could save us if the worst came. 

Our Christian Chinese neighbors were frequent visi- 
tors about this time. Several told me that they intended 
moving to other quarters of the city where their rela- 
tions with us would be unknown. Alas, they were ignor- 
ant as we that the E'mpress had even then in her hands 
a directory containing a registration of not only the 
foreign community people and missionaries in Peking, 
but every Chinaman, heathen or Christian, who served 
or associated with foreigners in any way. 




MISS MAUD A. MACKEY, M. D. 




MRS. COURTNAY H. FENN. 



SIEGE DAYS 57 

The last Sunday in May, a thousand of the foreign- 
haters assembled to watch the burning of our church in 
the west city compound, located one and a quarter miles 
from us. The burning had been announced by placards, 
but after the crowd had gathered in front of the com- 
pound, no spirit was bold enough to hurl his brand over 
the wall, or rush the closed gate. After waiting some 
time the people dispersed, angry, disappointed and 
breathing out threatenings. 

The English missionaries were already in the British 
Legation, all save plucky little Miss Smith, who stayed 
on at the East London Mission compound with a band 
of native Christians who had fled to the city from coun- 
try districts. Messrs. Stonehouse and Biggin remained 
at the West London Mission for the purpose of looking 
after the native Christians in that quarter. 

The invitation to go to the Methodist Mission reached 
us June 8th about noon. It mentioned U. S. Minister 
Conger's approval of the plan "for purposes of better 
self-protection and defense," and contained instructions 
as to food supplies, cooking utensils and bedding. There 
was a half-day left for us in which to get our things 
together. What a time, deciding for this article, re- 
jecting that, then debating it all over again; walking 
through the different rooms trying to hold wandering 
wits together, pausing before this or that, wondering if 
I should ever see it again. Strange faculty of memory : 
the thing I can best recall now was taking up a cracked 
and battered photograph of ''Jess," the old family horse 
that my husband rode when a child, and wondering if 
that had not better be saved than many another article 
of more value. 



58 SIEGE DAYS 

There were few Chinese about the place, but I had to 
say good-bye to the old nurse, Wang Nai Nai. 

"Will you not come with me?'^ I pleaded. "No," 
she said, "my son says I must go and stay with my 
heathen daughter, where I shall be safe." 

The old woman was very dear to me because of her 
devoted love to the baby, and my heart was sad as I 
clambered into the cart. Wang Nai Nai hugged and 
kissed the baby, and weeping, put her into my arms.* 

Back of me in the cart were packed some granite 
pots, stewpans and various other kitchen utensils. As 
we rode along the narrow alley, the pots and pans be- 
hind me went jangling and bumping against each other 
like the discordant music of a Chinese funeral proces- 
sion. The cart contained a well, or place for the feet, 
so we managed to put some of the ironware belov/, where 
I could hold it steady with my feet, and distributed the 
rest about the sides of the cart, where they were partially 
kept in place by my elbows. 

Three trunks, all the canned stores in our possession, 
cooking utensils, mattress, pillows and the baby's bath- 
tub, were piled in two carts back of us — our house boy 
accompanying them. We had locked the house behind 
us, storing our most valuable goods in a stone isolation 
room belonging to the hospital. We said hopefully : "If 
they do burn the building, no more than the window 
sash can burn in that stone room." Alas, when we 
next beheld our pleasant compound it was a waste of 
broken brick and mortar, level to the extent that a cart 



*Mr8. Inglis had been but three days at the Methodist 
Mission when old Wang Nai Nai followed to share the peril, 
giving as her reason that she could not leave "her baby." 



SIEGE DAYS 59 

could be easily driven over where the buildings had stood, 
cisterns and wells filled up, the beautiful old trees torn 
up by the roots, and the compound walls dug out for 
two feet underground. The dusk had fallen and the 
moon was bright when we rumbled through the big gate 
and turned down the narrow alley leading to Hatamen 
street. We passed unmolested for some distance, but just 
as we were approaching the turn, a half -naked man, with 
wild face framed in by disheveled hair, rushed into the 
entrance in front of us. He flung up his arms, shrieked 
out some curse, for an instant seemed about to rush 
upon us, then veering to one side, disappeared as sudden- 
ly as he came. This at the very first stage of our jour- 
ney did not tend to reassure us. I shook nervously 
and drew the baby closer to me inside the little cart and 
saw my husband draw his revolver quietly from his 
pocket and lay it upon his knee, where it gleamed in the 
moonlight. Turning upon the great street we drove 
quietly along past a Boxer rendezvous where a mandarin 
daily drilled and fed several hundred Boxers, Just be- 
yond this place two men suddenly appeared, one on each 
side of the cart, keeping unnecessarily close to us. We 
had proceeded a mile or two in this manner when we 
decided to dispense with their company. The revolver 
had evidently been unnoticed, for when they beheld 
Dt. Inglis turning it about and examining it, first one 
and then the other disappeared suddenly down a side 
street into the darkness. When nearly to the M. E. 
Mission we drove by a little company of Boxers drilling 
upon the street. They were so engrossed in their gym- 
nastics and chanting their incantations that we slipped 
Tby unobserved. 



60 SIEGE DAYS 

After this we journeyed some distance without noting 
anything iinnsual in sight or sound. The baby, who at 
first had sat upright in my arms gazing around in won- 
derment, had long since closed her eyes and lay fast 
asleep, her little flaxen head cuddled in my bosom. The 
street itself was partially deserted, and although the 
moonlight turned everything silvery, the little candles 
in the street lamps were lighted, as they always are on 
the nights when the moon shines; on dark nights we 
feel our way along Peking streets as best we can, for 
"who can see to light the street lamp when the moon is 
hidr 

After some time we saw to our right eight or ten 
half -clad men performing the Boxer gynmastics in the 
half shadow of a large shop. They were waving their 
hands and chanting some mystical incantation in which, 
I suppose, they called upon the God of War to aid them 
in their cause. Then dropping face downward on the 
ground, they gave the k'e fou, a graceful act in which 
the Chinaman, with his knees drawn up like a seasick 
passenger, knocks his forehead three times on mother 
earth. This was barely completed when we rolled quietly 
by; if they saw and recognized us they gave no sign, 
and were probably as philosophical as the Boxer sympa- 
thizer who called out to Mr. Fenn a few days later: 
"Foreign devil! Sooner or later you must die!" So, 
trusting that a worse fate or the natural destiny of man 
would overtake us, they did not oppose our flight. 

On entering the lane leading to the Methodist Mis- 
sion we saw it was filled with the carts of those who had 
already arrived, so that the way was blocked. Carters 
screamed and shouted to help along the general confus- 



SIEGE DAYS 61 

ion. These men always imagine that noise betokens in- 
dustry and attention to the business on hand. With 
some difficulty I extracted my feet from the pots and 
kettles, stretched my cramped and stiffened elbows, 
handed out the baby and crawled out of the uncomfort- 
able Chinese cart. Pushing our way along, we ap- 
proached the gate. Oh, the blessed sight of the United 
States marine who stood there ! It was young Marine 
Hall, who later became such a favorite with the child- 
ren. His old slouched army hat was pushed back from 
his forehead, and his frank boyish face beamed with 
kindl}^ interest in all that was going on. My eyes and 
throat filled. I stepped forward to clasp his hand and 
to tell him how glad we were to see him there, but I 
was afraid to venture my voice, so held out my hand in 
silent greeting. He seemed surprised and took it hesi- 
tatingly. I learned afterwards the reason of his sur- 
prise, privates not being accustomed to such recognition 
when on service. But we all said then, "God bless the 
privates," and I still say, "God bless him," for without 
the American private in Peking our little force had been 
overcome long before the day of our relief. 

On entering the compound what a sight met our eyes ! 
Women and children waiting about by piles of baggage ; 
servants running back and forth with burdens. United 
States marines on guard, marching slowly up and down 
the long walks, native convert refugees everywhere sit- 
ting about with their children, some with small hand- 
bundles, some swathed in bandages because of burns and 
cuts from revengeful Boxers ; all looking most disconso- 
late, for many had fled to Peking because their homes 
were laid in ruins and members of their families killed 



62 SIEGE DAYS 

or missing. The pleasant homes in the mission were as 
in happier hours — aglow with light and hospitality — 
there was a great deal of snbdned conversation to be 
heard, mingled with noise of carts and screaming driv- 
ers. 

Alliance Mission to English Legation, 

One of the incidents of the dark days of the summer 
of 1900 which come most preciously to my mind is that 
of the last night spent in the dear old Mission home. 
Every day alarming reports were coming in and we were 
being made more conscious of our dangerous position. So 
fearful were we of the Boxers attacking our premises 
that we had already chosen dark corners in the most se- 
cluded portions of our court-yard, hoping to find refuge 
in these should we have time after the announcement 
of their arrival. That last day in the home many dis- 
tressing accounts of massacres in surrounding villages 
were brought to us, and as I lay in my bed that night, 
afraid to go to sleep lest the Boxers should come upon 
us, and starting nervously at every sound, thinking they 
were already at hand, I asked my Heavenly Father for a 
verse of Scripture, and He gave me these assuring words : 
"I will keep thee as the apple of mine eye." His loving 
watchfulness over us during the dark days which fol- 
lowed is but another token of His faithfulness. 

Miss Hattie E. Eutherford. 

American Board Mission to American Legation. 

June 7th — Eumors increasing. Eefugees coming in 
from out-stations in larger numbers and with tales and 
marks of greater woe. 



SIEGE DAYS 63 

Our Tungchou friends have sent up for a guard to 
bring them to Peking, but no soldiers can be spared 
from the Legation. Because of general conditions, dan- 
ger between the two cities is great, but Dr. Anient, 
with Jen Mu Shih (native pastor) and other native 
Christians have taken carts and gone for our people. 

June 8th — Tungchou friends left their home at 3 
o'clock a. m. and arrived here in the early morning. 
Some came here to Teng Shih Kou'rh, while others went 
direct to the M. E. Compound. With them came the 
news of the burning out and killing off of twenty church 
members — a choice flock near to Tungchou. 

P. M. — Danger increases. V^e are all to leave Teng 
Shih Kou'rh tonight. Our native Christians who have, or 
can find, a home in the cit3^,are to go to it — those from 
out the city are to go along to the M. E. Compound. If 
the danger becomes extreme we are all to seek refuge in 
the Legations. Knowing my physical strength to be 
small and that the danger will increase, I wrote to 
Minister Conger, asking if I may go direct to our Lega- 
tion, and have in reply a cordial invitation to come. 

A hasty throwing of needed articles into a small 
trunk, giving instructions to Yang Shih Fu (our Press 
foreman), then to a back court to speak last words of 
courage and faith to my dearly loved Bindery women 
(women whom I had taught to bind native books), a 
word to this one and that one of the children, and — my 
home is left and I am quickly stowed in the back part 
of a cart with my trunk and faithful Ch'eng Lin in 
front. 

10 p. m. — Safe within Legation walls. In a little 



64 SIEGE DAYS 

room with Miss Douw and Miss Brown^ of the Alliance 
Mission. It is restful. Only 35 men and one Gatling 
gun, with thousands of infuriated enemies outside shriek- 
ing and howling for our lives and the wily, deceitful 
Chinese government gloving its hands in the Boxer name 
back of them, yet God rules and there is rest. 

American Board Mission to Methodist Mission. 

May 19 — You have heard of the Boxers and what they 
have done. 

Since February they have been coming north and all 
our out-stations are now going through the same terrible 
persecutions. The past three months things have grown 
steadily worse. Every day the past ten days, church 
members and helpers have been coming in and their 
stories and experiences make our hearts ache beyond 
words to express. Mr. Ament has just returned from a 
trip to four of our out-stations. His experiences remind 
one very much of some of John G. Paton's. The good 
hand of our Father was over him and though plans 
were made to entrap him at two places, word reached 
him in time for him to avoid and go around them. 

Our work in the country is at a standstill. This city 
is also full of Boxers and many dates have been set for an 
uprising in the city. You can imagine the talk going 
the rounds when little children say, "When I get to be a 
full Boxer I also can kill foreigners." 

Foreign governments have allowed things to go so far 
that it is a question now whether anything can be done 
before things reach a more terrible state. For months 
now the Christians have been reviled beyond words to 



SIEGE DAYS 65 

express. The reports that the foreigners have poisoned 
all the wells have gone out all over the country. This is 
believed and adds to the general state of feeling against 
foreigners. The Boxers in the country now have become 
so bold that they have adopted a uniform and go about 
with their knives drawn. They compel the rich men to 
support them on penalty of fine or death. The officials 
in the smaller cities can do nothing. They are without 
soldiers and no attention is paid to the appeals they 
send to Peking. A reign of terror exists in the country. 

Later. — Chinese soldiers have been sent to Cho Chou 
and we hope something is to be done. We hear that 
French soldiers have come; also the French admiral. 
It is also reported that Chinese soldiers have been 
sent to protect the Presbyterian Mission in this city. 

We had a most inspiring visit from Dr. and Mrs. F. E. 
Clark.* They came so full of good cheer and entered so 
into sympathy with us that we longed to keep them all 
the time. N. N. Russell. 

Peking, May 19. — I can hear the girls talking outside 
my windows. The poor things are all stirred up over the 
news from Cho Chou and P'u An T'un, and need com- 
forting. If this crisis is passed in the right spirit, it 
will make noble Christians of those tried and tempted. 
It is an opportunity that must be used. Oh, how I hope 
the Lord will find much wheat in this sifting! I can 
hear what the girls say, hoping that this one or that one 
has stood firm. Think what it would be if it were some 
of our own dear ones whom we were questioning about. 



*0f the Christian Endeavor. 



V 



66 SIEGE DAYS 

whether they had stood firm for Christ, or joined his 

enemies ! 

There are times at night when I fancy I hear the Box- 
ers, and I should not be surprised if it were the case, as 
they are practicing all around ns. After joining they 
are compelled to enter all the deviltry commanded them. 
The devil is making the most of his opportunity and 
drilling his soldiers well. 

So far we are absolutely safe. The Boxers say they 
will destroy the native Christians first, before attending 
to us. Besides, the Boxers in the city are only boys. 

We have dismissed our school, but there are some 
thirty girls we cannot dispose of, as their homes are 
in greater danger than here. 

No one can tell what may come, but we are calm and 
trust in God. In fact, I am glad of anything that has- 
tens a crisis, for it will help to bring in God's king- 
dom. 

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." 

Ada Haven. 

June 2. — Eefugees have been coming for days. It is 
heart-breaking to listen to their experiences. Some have 
gone back, but only a few of the many church members. 
What we are going to do with them all if this condition 
lasts for months is a great question. Our minister 
seems to be doing all he possibly can. 

It is hard for the foreign ministers to undersfand 
the condition of things in the country and how terribly 
the Christians are suffering. If this movement had been 
taken hold of when it started in Shantung all this might 
have been averted. As it is, things have reached a state 



SIEGE DAYS 67 

that may not be possible to manage. Now, since the 
railroads have been torn up, the stations burned and 
Peking threatened, they have awakened to the fact that 
the Boxer movement is more than child's play. 

The Boxers are gathering in large numbers in Cho 
Chou, and report has it that they expect to attack Pe- 
king. When they attack from the outside there is to be 
a rising in the city. Whether western powers can bring 
enough pressure to force the Chinese government to put 
down the movement is a question. It looks as though 
Ciiina, as China, was seeing its last days. God rules, 
and God is good. It is such a comfort to know and rest 
in that.— N. N. Russell. 

Whitsunday — It has been a day of rumors, some con- 
firmed, some refuted. First, the old story, refugees com- 
ing in with reports of families fleeing, houses burned, 
women carried off, etc. Then a man came in who had 
fled from another place. Miss Eussell asked him after 
his wife and children. He replied: "1 do not know. 
At such a time as this it is every one for himself." Then 
he went on to state that when he came to the river that 
flows down from Paotingfu to Tientsin, he saw three 
wrecked boats, with blood flowing from one, and on in- 
quiry found it was a party of foreigners from Paotingfu 
who had been attacked and some killed, others fleeing 
into the reeds, pursued by Boxers. Of course we were 
inuch alarmed, fearing for our missionaries. Later we 
heard that they were Belgian and French railroad or 
surveying employees. 

Later came reports that the great army of Boxers now 
holding Cho Chou were only waiting till they were suffi- 



68 SIEGE DAYS 

ciently reinforced to sweep all before them. Later still, 
Mr. Tewksbury and Dr. Ingram appeared to ask for a 
gxia,rd for Tungebou, as tomorrow night had been set 
as the time for burning the college. With Mission meet- 
ing there, there are twenty-five women and children 
and only nine men. - 

Next came the report that Mr. I^orman and Mr. Eob- 
inson had been killed. Later the same day we heard 
this confirmed as far as regards Mr. Eobinson. 

I have allowed all girls to go home if their homes are 
safe, and have only thirty-two at present. I am responsi- 
ble before God for them. — Ada Haven. 

Eor two nights before we went to the M. E. Mission 
I hardly dared sleep, and in fact was standing in the 
window more than half the night. The noise and con- 
fusion in the city was so bad that we conld not sleep. 
People were coming in to ns all day long and we were 
busy locating them and doing for the poor, homeless ones: 
who came to us from the country. 

Friday night at 7 we decided to leave our place. At 
that time a crowd of people were about the English Mis- 
sion half a mile from us. We went around, picked up a 
few things and filled our steamer trunks, locked up as 
well as we could, and at half past 10 got in the cart and 
went down. I think we hardly spoke all the way down. 
It was like a dream. — Miss N. IST. Eussell. 

A meeting of missionaries was called for that after- 
noon to meet at the Methodist compound. That meet- 
ing was really the beginning of a bond very close and 
near, closer than ordinarily exists in family life — ■ 
"bound in a bundle of life." Thirty missionaries met 



SIEGE DAYS 69 

in this parlor and it was decided that at all events, all 
the missionaries in town should be invited to the Metho- 
dist mission ; also that the school girls should be invited. 
The care and thoughtfulness shown by the missionaries 
of the Methodist Board in watching over the interests of 
our school, both at the Methodist Mission and also after- 
wards in siege, deserves very especial and warm thanks 
on the part of our Board. Not only was this care shown 
by the ladies — Mrs. Jewell, Miss Gilman, Dr. Gloss, etc. 
• — but the chivalrous aid given by the gentlemen, Messrs. 
Gamewell, Hobart, Verity and others, was above praise. 
So it was decided we were all to come there, and that 
very night, waiting till dark that it might not look like 
flight. It was expressly desired that we should not come 
very late, or very early (before dark), or in a great body, 
so as to attract notice. So, as soon as it was dark our six 
carts took our little band to the Methodist place. Our 
girls were very collected and calm, quite content to go 
anwhere or do anything as long as they kept with the 
foreigners. Arrived at the Methodist Mission, we were 
told to go to the church. We found the Methodist girls 
already there — eighty or ninety of them. As soon as we 
could, we got settled for the night, spreading down our 
quilts between the rows of seats. We could not sleep on 
the seats for they were like opera chairs, with their 
wood bottoms and backs, so we threw up the hinged 
seats and spread ourselves between the rows, feet to feet, 
or head to head, a continuous line of bodies in each row. 
I doubt whether much sleeping was done that night. 
What with the novelty of one's physical surroundings, 
the anxiety with regard to what one could do for one's 



70 



SIEGE DAYS 



Christians, and the straining of one's mental eyes to try 
to see more than a step before one into the future, it was 
hard to lose oneself in sleep. And so in the night be- 
gan our strange experiences of the summer. — Ada 
Haven. 



or open-Vfi, T\ T 



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AUSTRIAN 


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'C^it'T e Kin 'rh 

The Brick Wdi/ 



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(The Foot of the Wall Street.) 



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PLAN OF THE BESIEGED LEGATION QUARTER. 

Courtesy of McClure's Magazine. 



THE SEMI-SIEGE. 

Semi-Siege in the American Legation. 

June 9 — More soldiers left Tientsin yesterday, but 
telegraph lines are cut, railroads torn up, bridges burned, 
and we know not where our soldiers are. Tales of horror 
increasing. 

June 10, Sabbath — Two members of Tsungli Yamen 
called to request of Minister Conger that no more troops 
be brought into the city, as "it made trouble between the 
head of the foreign bureau (Prince Ch'ing) and the 
Empress Dowager. They heard plain English, well 
translated, in return. 

Tungchou buildings, with all of their contents, 
burned to the ground — by the Imperial troops placed 
there to guard them ! Also another near station of 
Christians burned and people killed. 

June 11 — Still no news of soldiers. Our Westerfl 
Hills place burned to ashes (five small houses fifteen 
miles from Peking, to which we went in the heat of sum- 
mer). British summer resort burned, just new, and 
cost over $100,000. 

Four members of Dowager's Cabinet came with 
compliments of Empress to Minister Conger and wife 
(special compliments mean special mischief) and to 
ask if coming troops are for offense or defense? If for 
defense alone they may come. 

71 



72 SIEGE DAYS 

June 12th. — No news of relief. Kalgan wires cut, 
which means separation from all the world. 

Lin Ching and Pang Chuang people been advised by 
Tientsin Consnl to go southward to the coast. Pao- 
tingfn people shut in but, so far as we know, all alive. 
(They were until the last day of June and the first day of 
July.) 

June 13th. — ISTews crowds. Presbyterian and M. E. 
houses at the West Hills burned. Yesterday the Japan- 
ese Chancellor, Mr. Sugiyama, was taken from his cart 
and brutally murdered. I did not sleep last night and 
so was not up this morning when we heard Captain 
Myers^ voice ring out, "Lock gate, men to arms!" and 
then the rapid running past our window of the automatic 
gun and the word "Boxers,'^ explained the situation. I 
sprang up and giving no thought to bath or hair comb- 
ing went to dressing while dear Miss Brown calmly said, 
"Let us pray." The first battle was soon over and one 
luckless Boxer paid the penalty for coming too near our 
lines. 

6 p. m. — Miss Douw and I were having a cup of tea 
with Mrs. Squiers (wife of First Secretary), when a 
messenger came with a letter from Captain McCalla, 
saying, "Pushing on with 1,600 men." In the mean- 
time rumors are rife and all expect active work tonight. 
Great fires have been burning in all parts of the city — 
our hearts tell us what the material used for fuel. 

June 14th — No violence here, but cannonading, beat- 
ing of tom-toms and din of tumult in the near dis- 
tance. A "Boxer's bugle" (donkey) all the night kept 
up its music just outside of our window and the hostler 



SIEGE DAYS 73 

took this occasion, about 1 o'clock a. m.^ to give his mule 
a beating which called out numbers of women and chil- 
dren. 

It is a fact (and it is hard to sift facts from the much 
news) that our troops on their way up from Tientsin met 
Boxers, killed 30, routed the remainder with three 
British wounded. Also, yesterday, the old chapel out- 
side the M. E. compound was burned. We now wait 
news of the night from other places. Here, no one 
undressed but all lay in dress and some in double dress 
(and the night was so hot) ready for speedy flight or 
whatever called upon to do. 

News comes rapidly. Both Presbyterian Missions, 
South Cathedral, London Mission premises, M. E. com- 
pound buildings and Teng Shih Kou'rh all burned. The 
dear home is gone, but not its precious memories. My 
thought clings to the "Old Arm Chair." More news: 
Every foreign residence in the city is in ashes. The Old 
Woman's Eefuge with its inmates, including the blind 
girls from Mr. Murray's school, all burned. 

And now we are ordered to be in readiness to go to 
the Eussian Legation. Closer and closer into the hole. 
God's spirit is with us. 

June 15th. — We slept in our clothes ready for instant 
flight to the Eussian Legation, and, if necessary, from 
there to the British, as our final stronghold. Ch'eng Lin 
comes in to tell me that the American Board compound, 
including the printing press, was first looted and then 
burned, and that many of our Christians were killed. 

2 :30 p. m. — Squads of soldiers from the different Le- 
gations are going out to the South Cathedral and other 



74 SIEGE DAYS 

places, rescuing and bringing in suffering Christians — 
blood makes us kin, every soldier is eager to go. One 
poor mother was brought in holding her blind babe in her 
arms. One of our ^^Boys in Blue" seeing her, ran to 
the "quarters'^ and came back with two pieces of bread 
which he thrust into her eager, outstretched hands. Most 
powerfully does this suffering appeal to all. Just now as 
I peeked through the latticed brick I saw two squads of 
soldiers start on their errand of mercy. God go with 
them. Mr. William Pethick led the first rescuing party 
and on his return said, "Never have I seen anything like 
it, men, women and children bound together with burn- 
ing coals under and around them ; killed, dead and dying 
on every hand ; weak ones carrying aged and sick on their 
backs — and worse.^' Night before last and yesterday 
morning was bad, last night and this morning worse, 
and still the carnage goes on. 

June 16th. — Still no troops come; but we thank God 
for another morning of life. For four hours fire has 
been sweeping the Southern City; the sky is black and 
the sun darkened by the smoke while ashes fall upon 
my paper as I write. We hope the wall will be our pro- 
tection. News comes that twenty-eight warships are 
outside of Taku. We know now that our relief are fight- 
ing every foot of the way between Tientsin and Peking. 
Last night I did not even take off my shoes. 

June 17th. — Sabbath. Isolated shots all through the 
night and at 3 a. m. close, rapid firing. In a few min- 
utes all were up and ready for orders. The situation this 
morning is dangerous — ^perilous. A quiet Sabbath morn- 
ing to look down upon a devastated, burning city, and 



SIEGE DAYS 75 

not one chapel left in which to worship God. Thirteen 
in ashes ! 

News has come from Captain McCalla. It has not 
been given to ns and we know that it is unfavorable. I 
have jiist rearranged my few belongings, putting papers, 
jewelry and a little money on my person. 

June 18th — Last night about 10 o'clock Mr. Cheshire 
(Chinese interpreter) met and conducted around breast- 
works and through winding ways three representatives 
of the Tsungli Yamen (Foreign Bureau), who asked au- 
dience with Minister Conger. "The Empress Dowager 
would know the policy of the foreigners?" Without 
circumlocution they were told that it was to restore order 
and save life. The night was quiet, but like the Israelites 
of old, we slept with staff in hand ready for instant 
flight. Twice I took off my shoes and twice, on rapid 
firing, put them on again. 

2 p. m. — Dark rumors come of the railroad being cut 
at both ends with our relief in between with hordes on 
hordes of Boxers and soldiers all around — and the words 
Boxers, soldiers and government are synonymous. 
Gloom hangs heavy. 

June 19th. — The situation is unchanged. No news 
from troops, nor can a messenger be hired, at any price, 
to carry a letter to Captain McCalla. 

6 p. m. — The hair that held the sword has broken. 
The Tsungli Yamen has ordered all foreigners to leave 
Peking within twenty-four hours. They offer us an es- 
cort — which means the escort Xero gave his mother. 
They cannot reach us here without too great loss to their 



76 SIEGE DAYS 

Boxer ranks, therefore order us out to clearer range. 
God will keep us from this awful slaughter. 

June 20th. — Memorable day! First the decision of 
the Ministers that it will be impossible to leave within 
the given time. Next the killing of the German Minis- 
ter, Baron von Ketteler. A fleet messenger to the M. E. 
compound with an order to Captain Hall to bring, on a 
thirty-five minutes' notice, all the people there to the 
American Legation. Our native Christians were in that 
long rank STnd file and were taken to the Su Wang fu 
where those rescued from the flames and swords of the 
Boxers, had found refuge. A lunch from Mrs. Squiers' 
generous store room, and then came moving of trunks, 
boxes, provision, etc., to the British Legation, and be- 
tween 2 and 4 o'clock the women and children in groups 
and ranks were all guarded over to that stronghold — all 
a refugees. N'early a thousand people, about a hun- 
dred horses and mules, a fiock of sheep all turned in and 
running about in wild, chaotic confusion. Oh, God! 
what a sight to look upon ! The saddest my eyes have 
ever seen. And yet how wonderfully hast Thou this day 
preserved us from our enemies. 

4 p. m. — The enemy's guns have opened upon us. 
Here God's greatest love was shown by the veil which He 
hung between us and the fifty-four long days and longer 
nights which lay between us and the coming of our re- 
lief. — Mrs. John L. Mateer. 

Semi- Siege in" the Methodist Compound. 

June 9th. — The sun waked us early in the chapel, spite 
of the fact that the novelty of the situation had not been 



SIEGE DAYS 77 

very conducive to sleep the night before. It was wifh 
some difficulty that those of the girls who woke early 
could be restrained from their accustomed use of their 
tongues. But the quietness on the other side of the 
church, where the Methodist girls had spread them- 
selves, was a good example. On looking around, one 
could see most of the girls sitting cross-legged on the 
floor between the rows of seats, each one combing the 
hair of a girl who sat in front of her, yet busy only with 
hands — tongues entirely quiet, and even hands quiet as 
regards sound. So my girls and myself followed the 
good example. But when the 6 o'clock bell sounded, 
presto — what a change ! Every girl was on her feet, 
folding her quilt, her tongue busy enough to make up 
for lost time. What a humming in the hive ! The M. E, 
ladies came up to the pulpit, where they had left things 
needed for their breakfast, and took them over to the 
school compound, where their house also was, telling me 
they would come back and let me know when the coast 
was clear, then my girls could go with theirs and spend 
the day at the school compound, returning to the chapel 
at evening to sleep. In the meantime the girls took their 
bundles of bedding and piled them up on the platform 
behind the pulpit. Even at that early stage, the church 
was fast losing its ecclesiastical aspect. The altar was 
fenced around with a barricade of boxes of condensed 
milk, biscuit tins, baskets of household silver, etc., and 
the air was redolent with the smell of freshly burned 
coffee beans, for provisions were carefully looked after, 
even at that early stage. By and by we marshalled the 
girls out of the church and across the lane to the school 
compound, the door of which was just opposite, across 



78 SIEGE DAYS 

the lane. Inside that compound there was quite a walk 
to get to the school court, in front of the ladies' house 
and across a court. (As the days went on, and the sit- 
uation became more dangerous, we would lead the girls 
through the back verandas of this house, and they were 
to be silent and quick in crossing this open space, for 
they were in full view from the city wall, and at the great 
city gate near us there were always bodies of soldiers 
camping.) Arrived at the school court, too, certain 
parts of the court were tabooed for the girls, being too 
exposed to sight from the wall. Afterwards, when all 
the M. E. courts were crowded with Christian refugees, 
these exposed courts were given to some of them ; but in 
this, as in all provision for the welfare of the natives, 
the school girls, of whatever denomination, were always 
given the place of greatest safety. We felt very deeply 
the kindness and generosity of our Methodist friends in 
thus giving our Congregational girls a better place than 
remained to give to their own refugee families. The 
helplessness of these girls appealed to the warm hearts 
of our Methodist friends, and in every particular our 
girls always shared with the M. E. girls the best that 
could be given to the Chinese^ favors that could not be 
given to all. 

It was at first the plan that only the school girls 
should be received from outside, the church mem- 
bers of other denominations remaining in the city 
compounds of those missions ; but at the earnest request 
of the ladies of our mission, the refugees from T'ungchou 
and our out-stations were allowed to come in, and finalty, 
those of our city church members whose homes were 
unsafe at that time. Our M. E. friends found the prob- 



SIEGE DAYS 79 

lem an altogether more serious one, as refugees from all 
quarters came pouring into the compound. It taxed 
their generosity to the utmost, for it was more than they 
had bargained for. Yet even this ingathering, as was 
proved in the issue of events, was of the Lord's ordering. 

All that day the Christians kept pouring in. Finally 
it was arranged that none who had homes in the city 
could stay, so that many families returned to their 
homes, leaving place for those whose homes were either 
already burned or else threatened. The university court 
was thrown open to men who had no families. — xA.da 
Plaven. 

About 100 were thus sent away. This, of course, was 
a very hard thing to do, but it seemed the wisest course, 
and nearly every one thinks there will probably be no 
general uprising in the city. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

We had to keep a tremendously zealous guard over 
the gate; there were so many Chinese members of dif- 
ferent churches that no one knew them all, and a Boxer 
might easily creep in among them. We labeled them 
"Christian," had it sewed firmly onto their clothes, and 
had them wear a turban at night, so that the American 
marines, who could not understand Chinese, would not 
mistake and shoot them for Boxers. — Mrs. A. H. Smith. 

Under order of Captain Hall and under di- 
rection of Mr. Gamewell, the sentry lines have been ad- 
vanced outside the compound on all sides, covering all 
the street approaches; the compound itself has been 
strengthened against attack, and the church has been 
converted into a small fort. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

It will give you some idea of the magnitude of the 
task we are attempting, to tell you that the area we are 



80 SIEGE DAYS 

defending at the Methodist Mission, including barri- 
caded streets and alleys, comprises about thirty acres, a 
tract more than a quarter of a mile long. Not includ- 
ing the University building, which is slightly separated 
from the other Methodist property, and occupied only 
by men, we have about forty sentinels constantly at their 
posts, night and day. Volunteers perched on roofs and 
at other places swell the number in the day time, and at 
the University building probably about twenty-five more 
are on watch all the time. — Miss Luella Miner. 

Short pointed sticks have been driven into the ground 
Just inside the compound walls ; inside these is a barbed 
wire fence. In some places a deep trench has been dug 
inside the fence, and a second fence of barbed wire put 
up on the inner side. The brick walks have nearly all 
been torn up, to make new walls within our compound, 
cutting off a small enclosure around the church, from 
the rest of the premises. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

We soon had the beautiful church transformed into 
a fort. Inside, at night, there slept on the rostrum eight 
foreign mothers and twelve children. On the church floor 
slept the teachers and nearly 200 school girls; in the 
lecture room nearly the same number of native women, 
with babies. There was a baby and often several crying 
every hour of the night. Happy was the mother whose 
babe was a sound sleeper and did not add to the general 
disturbance. 

All day long Mr. Gamewell, who later became our 
great man of the siege, worked his gang of native teach- 
ers, school boys and farmers, digging trenches, building 
walls, watch-towers and barbed- wire fences. Even the 
sturdy young Chinese matrons and some old women car- 



SIEGE DAYS 81 

ried brick to the men. One white-haired grandmother 
said : "It is all I can do, but I want to do it." — Mrs. J. 
Inglis. 

As the crowds still kept streaming in, the older 
men and women were allowed to spread tents and 
mat-sheds in a court beyond the church, and all little 
outbuildings and courts were occupied. And still they 
came, standing outside the guarded gates and pleading 
for admission, only to be turned away, unless in cases of 
extreme urgency; for we had already more than could 
possibly find standing room even in our big fortress, and 
the compound was so commanded by the wall that all 
other places were thoroughly unsafe in event of attack. 
— Ada Haven. 

During Saturday the church was provisioned with 
everything we could get that could be eaten without 
cooking, and I did not retire until after 2 o'clock, stay- 
ing up to boil kettles full of water for drinking. This 
was carried to the church also, and placed in large 
earthen jars. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

June 10th. — The chapel is to be the place where all 
the women and children are to meet in case of attack, 
and Major Conger says it can be defended against all 
the Boxers that have ever been born. Mr. Gamewell 
did not know he was building a fort when he planned 
the church. All the gentlemen and some of the ladies 
are armed ; but the captain says the place for the women 
is under the seats in the chapel if anything happens. 
That puts a damper on the martial spirit of some of 
our brave women. — Edna G. Terry, M. D. 



82 SIEGE DAYS 

The men are all very busy fortifying our position. 
The work is so urgent that they kept at it all day even 
though it was Sunday. Mr. Gamewell plans and directs 
everything and the Chinese all assist^, no matter whether 
college-bred pastor or humble coolie. 

A service was held in the morning in Chinese, and one 
at five in the afternoon in English. The ladies were able 
to keep a quiet Sabbath until about sundown, when the 
gentlemen all asked for cartridge belts. We have about 
fifty London Mission converts with our refugees, and 
two Englishmen with them, also one English woman. 
In view of this. Sir Claude McDonald sent ten rifles 
with ammunition to help us out in defending. So we 
bought strong blue Chinese cloth and set to work to 
make belts for the cartridges as fast as possible, not 
knowing but that they would be needed last night. But 
all was quiet and we think the troops from Tientsin 
must come soon. I fear when they do come that the la- 
dies and children will be sent to Tientsin, and most of 
us do not wish to go. But just here we are glad we are 
Americans, for no one will order us away. Our minister 
can only advise. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

June 11th. — The gentlemen are apportioned to guard 
hours and stations, and the ladies have posts of duty 
to aid in managing the Chinese if trouble should come. 
The Chinese are being organized to drill with spears; 
sanitary, food, and other committees are appointed, and 
everything reduced to method and order, — Mrs.' Ed. 
Lowry. 

Much is being done to provision our fort, for both 
Chinese and foreigners. Among the articles provided 



SIEGE DAYS 83 

were 500 or more eggs — great tubfuls. But alas for 
those eggs ! A toddling baby sat down in one of those 
tubs one day by accident. It was a case of "whether 
the pitcher falls off the wall, or the wall falls on the 
pitcher, it is the worse for the pitcher." It was a bad 
thing for that bab}^, and still worse for those eggs, for 
not all the King's horses nor all the Dowager's Boxers 
could pick those precious Humpty Dumpties up again. 
All that they (the latter) could do when tliey came ten 
days later, was to poach what still remained whole of 
those eggs in the other tubs. — Ada Haven. 

Today Major Conger sent us ten more marines. He is 
\cTj kind to give us protection here, dividing his own. 
small force. But he is willing to do all he can to help us 
care for our native Christians. We feel very grateful to 
him for this. Besides the twenty marines, there were 
twenty-one foreign gentlemen and about twenty-five trus- 
ty Chinese, all armed with rifles and doing sentry duty. 
Many other Chinese are armed with spears. — Mrs. C. E. 
Ewing. 

The courts are astir now, every missionary and native 
pastor carrying his musket as he walks around. One gets 
used to this kind of thing, so one takes it as a matter of 
course. "We are killed all the day long, — accounted as 
sheep for the slaughter." But though the spirit is that 
of sheep, as regards the commands of our great Shep- 
herd, the Boxers will find us wolves in sheep's clothing 
if they try to attack us. — Ada Haven. 

The gentlemen of the missions now began drilling, 
most of them having been supplied wdth rifles, and the 
captain in charge of the guard began teaching them 



84 SIEGE DAYS 

something about fighting. That marching, facing about, 
and similar performances, though it made one heart-sick 
to see the missionaries take up this new kind of work, 
was really amusing, and I believe there was enough boy 
in even the oldest to enjoy this marching up and down 
with a gun. — Janet McKillican. 

June 12th. — Tuesday. Mr. Ewing went up to our 
house several times on Monday and Tuesday and saved 
a number of things, among others the church communion 
service.* On the last trip Mr. Ewing brought down all 
the deeds of our mission property, both in Peking and in 
our out-stations, and also brought the account books, 
Mission, Press, and personal. Dr. Ament has been very 
bold all along, and he did not like it that everybody left 
their places, for it only invited the Boxers to burn and 
pillage. In spite of protestations from all, he stayed up 
at our place until yesterday afternoon, coming down only 
for a short time each day. But when he came today in 
time for supper he said he would stay all night. 

Our property in Tungchou, both in the city and at 
the college outside, was looted and burned Saturday and 
Sunday, loss estimated at $150,000. It does not seem 
possible that the beautiful college building where we 
held our annual meeting only two weeks ago is all gone, 
and the homes of our dear friends, too. The new church 
at Tungchou was roofed and the flooring all laid. We 
are much concerned now about our friends in Paotingfu. 
There is no possibility of their escape by themselves, the 



*See later story of this service in Missionary Herald, Feb- 
ruary, 1902. 



I 




BESSIE G. EWING 




M 



ARION AND ELLEN EWING WITH BABY BROTHER. 



SIEGE DAYS 85 

foreign force of marines is too small to send for them, 
and no Chinese gnard is to be trusted. We simply must 
wait for a large force and pray God to protect them. — 
Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

The Chinese government soldiers, set to guard our 
beautiful new college buildings and four lovely new 
homes, said privately among themselves their wages were 
not enough to live on, and while they were about it they 
guessed they'd do some looting for themselves ! — Mrs. A. 
H. Smith. 

We are thankful for every one of the missionaries now 
at home in America. Every one here is bearing up won- 
derfully. I wish I could tell you how brave the Tung- 
chou people are about the loss of their homes and 
property. Miss Andrews and Miss Chapin were so 
busy getting Chinese refugees settled that they came 
away with nothing but a bundle of clothes. Others were 
able to bring trunks. — Miss B. C. McCoy. 

I am glad to think of our friends in America as peace- 
ful and happy. So are we peaceful — at heart. I have 
not seen a tear on the face of any one since I came in, ex- 
cept a poor school girl whose father had been murdered 
by the Boxers at Tungchou. Well, God reigns, and we 
trust in Him. — Ada Haven. 

June 13th. — Wednesday. The thrilling event of this 
date was in the evening. No one of us had the heart to 
write about it then. As we gathered in knots about the 
northern windows, climbing up to look over the barri- 
caded part, the reddening skies showed a group of white 
faces as we looked from one to another in horror. We 



8Q SIEGE DAYS 

could see from the direction of the flames the point of 
attack, and saw the flames point, with fiery index fingers, 
from the various mission centers to the heaven above. 
"They are not men, but fiends," said one, between her 
teeth. Yet she who said it always had a heart full of 
love for the Chinese. She was thinking of her poor 
lambs outside, among the wolves. All descriptions in 
journals naturally speak of this event as having occurred 
"yesterday." 

At 7 o'clock I went down to have prayers with 
one roomfull of women refugees. The faith and 
courage of these Christians who have lost their all 
is very touching. While one woman was still praying, 
some one came in from outside and whispered 
in my ear, "The Boxers are coming." The court was 
already alive with our Chinese men preparing their 
spears and other weapons of defense. The women kept 
very calm. I told them to get their things in order, but 
not to start for the church until they had a definite call. 
I gathered up my things rather rapidly, for the yard 
was full of smoke from the little Methodist chapel on 
the great street, a few rods away, but not directly con- 
nected with our compound. As soon as I had packed my 
things into the church, I hurried again to the other end 
of the compound, meeting the women on their way into 
the church, and helping some who had not started yet 
to carry their babies and bundles. Soon they were gath- 
ered quietly in the Sunday school room of the church. 
The school girls and the foreign women and children 
gathered in the body of the church. — Luella Miner. 

The burning of the Methodist street chapel began the 



SIEGE DAYS 87 

work of destmction that was to lay waste large tracts of 
the city. Fires were started in quick succession in many 
parts of the city and continued to rage until all the mis- 
sion premises, of which there were seven besides the 
Methodist, every street chapel, two Catholic cathedrals 
with their orphanages and hospitals, all the houses oc- 
cupied by those in the employment of the Imperial cus- 
toms service, the homes of the professors of the Imperial 
university and the Imperial college, the postoffice, the 
telegraph office, the electric light plant, the Imperial 
Chinese bank, the Kussian bank and all shops containing 
anything foreign, were consumed. — Mrs. F. D. Game- 
well. 

We began to realize that the Empress had no intention 
of putting down the Boxers, but that she was furthering 
a union between them and her Imperial troops. There 
was ample proof of this on the night of June 13, when 
Peking streets were strewn with the bodies of native 
converts, and the sky above was red in a dozen places 
with the flames from mission and other foreign com- 
pounds. That night the Boxers reigned supreme, loot- 
ing, burning and murdering. But her majesty's soldiers 
along the bloody streets caught the escaping fugitives 
and turned them over to the Boxers, while the official 
police served hot tea to the Boxers to further refresh 
them for their horrid work. 

The narrative is far too brief for me to dwell upon 
the horrors of that sad night. 'Nov can I tell the sad, 
heart-rending tales of June 14, when the poor souls that 
escaped to us related their experiences. And worse than 
this was the news of the massacre. The flower of the 
Peking church had been cut down in the night. All day, 



88 SIEGE DAYS 

and many days after, we looked for friends and familiar 
faces, but they did not come. Our Presbyterian churcli 
alone can count barely fifty members out of two hundred 
and fifty. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

A thrilling account is given concerning the burning 
of the old Catholic cathedral. It seems that the Catholic 
missionaries had announced that when the Boxers should 
appear against them an alarm should be rung by the 
Cathedral bell. Accordingly, when the first mutterings 
of the storm were heard in that vicinity the bellman took 
his place and rang the alarm with might and main. The 
fire caught the tower and crept to the floor beneath his 
feet; but still he kept the big bell pealing. Then the 
floor gave way and he and the bell went down together 
into the flame-wrapped ruin. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

June 14th. — This was the day when we expected Mc- 
Calla. Mrs. Inglis thus tells of our fruitless visits to 
the old "Bulletin Tree'^' : 

A beautiful old tree stood in the middle of our com- 
pound and on it all announcements and reports were 
tacLed. Many times a day we visited the old tree to look 
for reports of the McCalla and Seymour troops, which 
we knew had just left Tientsin for our relief on June 
10th. The last one was dated June 12th and reported 
the troops half way to Peking. Thereafter no message 
came, but we expected the troops daily and hourly. In 
tl 3 early morning we said with hope in our hearts, "Oh 
tonight they will be here." At night we said, smiling 
bravely, "Oh they will surely be here when we waken." 
Had we been able to look down through the dark days 
of the weeks to come, we perhaps would not have worked 



SIEGE DAYS 89 

so hard for our own safet}^, but as it was, we watched 
and prayed and hoped from hour to hour, day to day, 
working all the time, and so we lived to welcome the re- 
lief column. 

We had just settled ourselves for the night at about 
8 o'clock when such a din arose as I never heard before 
in my life, and hope never to hear again. The terrible 
noise was the shouting of a mob just outside the Ha Ta 
gate. One continuous yell of "Kill, kill, kill the foreign 
devils.^^ We were so close that it seemed at first as 
though the mob were surely inside the gate, and would 
be upon us any minute. But some of the gentlemen came 
in quickly to relieve our minds and say that the city 
gate was safely locked between us and them. Still we 
did not feel very secure, fearing that the gate keeper 
would unlock the gate without much objection if the 
Boxers wished to come in. The hideous yelling kept up 
for two hours. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Strong men turned pale, children looked at their par- 
ents with wondering eyes, while the mothers shrank back 
into the shadowy corners of the church, with sleeping 
babes drawn close against their throbbing hearts. Never 
shall we who waited within our walls those awful nights 
forget them while memory lives. More painful and more 
dangerous nights were to follow, but none so frightful. 
— Mrs. J. Inglis. 

As one lady expressed it, she felt as though she were 
in nothing stronger than a bird cage, while hyenas 
howled without. Some estimated there were 50,000 
voices. — Mrs. Ed. Lowry. 

We learned afterwards that the cause was the divid- 



90 SIEGE DAYS 

ing of the spoils obtained from our foreign premises in 
the city. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

The Boxers in their indiscriminate pillaging had loot- 
ed a Mohammedan bank. The Mohammedans gathered 
a band of three hundred, pursued them, and got back 
their money, after which the mob dispersed. — Luella 
Miner. 

Major Conger, who was on the city wall till 1 o'clock 
with Captain Myers, said the Boxers were worshipping, 
going through incantations and burning incense. The 
Germans had shot seven to ten Boxers who were drilling 
across the moat from the position occupied by the Ger- 
mans on the city wall. Possibly this killing may have 
had something to do with the demonstration. — Mrs. Ed. 
Lowry. 

June 15th. — ^^Our future is known only to our Father 
in heaven. The Psalms are full of comfort and appro- 
priate. Last night a mob, of several thousand perhaps, 
was just outside the city wall. This compound on one 
side the wall, the mob on the other. Miss Newton read 
Psalm lix to me this morning, beginning at the sixth 
verse. Could anything express the affairs of last night 
more fittingly? We realize that the Lord is our shield, 
and we sing of his strength alone." — ^B. C. McCoy. 

This morning all hearts are a little lighter because of 
word from Tientsin, and also because of word from the 
American soldiers who are coming to our relief. Yester- 
day how we did pray, for danger seemed very near. We 
are sure God is on our side. The question now for us 
is, how are we best to glorify God, by living or dying? 
There are seventy Americans in this Methodist yard^ in- 



SIEGE DAYS 91 

eluding children. Of this large number of missionaries 
there is not one who is afraid to die, or one who is un- 
T^alling to give up his life at this time "if it be His 
sweet will." When, however, burning or wholesale mas- 
sacre stares one in the face, the flesh seems weak. — Miss 
Grace Wyckoff. 

The days which preceded the final crisis on the 20th 
of June were perhaps as trying as any which came after. 
There was one peculiar sensation which was common to 
all, especially during the first days of our imprison- 
ment. The time, as it passed, did not drag heavily, but 
when it was past it seemed so far away. We seemed to 
live so much in a short time that what took place yes- 
terday seemed like last week, and the events of last week 
seemed ages ago. — Edna G. Terry, M. D. 

(Written later.) It seems strange to think back now 
to the time when we used to go to the gate-house so 
trustfully at 8 in the morning and deposit in a box on 
the gatekeeper's table the letters that we had so elabo- 
rately written to our home friends, knowing that when 
they heard of our danger they would be anxious. 
Whether the messenger with his letters ever got outside 
Peking or not, whether, if so, he threw them away, or 
whether, for having them found on his person, he met 
his death, no one ever found out. We only knew that 
the messengers never came back, and months afterwards 
learned that our friends never received those letters. — 
Ada Haven. 

Some feel strongly that all women and children should 
go to the American Legation. The people from all the 



92 SIEGE DAYS 

Legations are to go to the British (on the principle 
of ^'^united we stand") if the probability is that they 
cannot hold out alone. — B. C. McCoy. 

Major Conger has promised ns more help if we are 
attacked, if we will send up rockets. Some of the gen- 
tlemen consequently tried to buy rockets. They were 
refused, but at point of pistol got them. — J. G. Evans. 

It was not long until the shop-keepers on the street 
refused to sell provisions to the cooks. The milkman 
gave notice, and also the water carriers. Then the sol- 
diers and missionaries went out with the cooks and at 
the rifle's muzzle forced the shopmen to sell meat and 
vegetables. They also accompanied the native Chris- 
tians to the wells and stood guard while they drew the 
water. For milk we depended upon the condensed ar- 
ticle. The servants who were bold enough to venture out 
alone reported Boxer tokens for sale everywhere, and 
every shop burning incense to the Boxer god. — Mrs. J. 
Inglis. 

There are now on this place over six hundred Chinese 
with us, protecting ourselves from harm. We are to go 
into the big church when an alarm of three guns is 
given. Our twenty marines and armed missionaries may 
be able to keep us if we are besieged, until our relief 
can come. Messengers were offered a reward of $50 to 
the first returning with answer from Captain McCalla 
to the letter written by Dr. Smith.— B. C. McCoy. 

The American flag has been hoisted over the church 
today, and looks prettier and more like home than ever 
before. A temple was cleared of Boxers today by a 



SIEGE DAYS 93 

party of English, American and Japanese troops. They 
killed forty Boxers — not one escaped. Over one hundred 
were killed yesterday. The missionaries watch day and 
night. Dr. Wherry has no time for anything else. It 
is hard for such a loving old gentleman to begin being 
a soldier. His cartridge belt and bayonet look quite out 
of place. 

God is very good to us, and we feel thankful that we 
are all well and have a "peace that passeth understand- 
ing." No one here has shown fear or nervousness. 
While every one realizes the danger, there is no one 
panic-stricken, whatever happens. When the alarm 
comes (three times already) to go to the church, every- 
body picks us his few possessions and walks in as quietly 
as though going to meeting. — Maud A. Mackey. 

The next night we took the precaution to have the 
key to the city gate in our possession, and just here 
lies one of the great jokes in the midst of all this tragedy. 
Four of the gentlemen with their guns (Dr. Ingram, 
Mr. Tewksbury, Mr. Ewing and Dr. Inglis), went and 
asked the gatekeeper to lock the gate. This he did 
without hesitation. It was a spring lock and did not 
need a key for the fastening. Then the gentlemen asked 
to see the key (an iron bar about two feet long with 
a peculiar crook at one end). Dr Ingram took it in his 
hand and said, "We want this.'^ The gatekeeper de- 
murred, but after a little parley gave it up and our gen- 
tlemen brought it away, a thousand and more Chinese 
soldiers standing by and not saying a word. The next 
morning two gentlemen with four marines went and 



94 SIEGE BAYS 

unlocked the gate and have continued this performance 
night and morning each day. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

June 16th. — Saturday. Up to the present time there 
have been twenty-six places burned, even to foreign ceme- 
teries, and then they began burning shops where any- 
thing foreign was sold, like cloth, even to flour shops, 
where the flour was ground with foreign machinery. A 
large part of the Southern City, which adjoins us, 
was burned. We could see the smoke all day. The 
tower of one of the city gates itself was burned. In 
the Southern City, even all the Chinese turned against 
the Boxers, who have destroyed so much of their prop- 
erty, when they professed to be Heaven-sent, and only 
to destroy foreign devils. — Mrs. E. G. Tewksbury. 

A fire has been burning most of the day near Ch'ien 
Men (front gate) of the city. Foreign medicine shops 
were fired, and the breeze carried the fire. The Boxers 
claim that it is holy fire they are using, and only such 
property as they curse will bum. This is now the only 
mission compound in the city which has not been burned. 
Soldiers and rabble have followed the Boxers and looted 
houses. The streets have been full of foreign goods. 
— E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

The wholesale way in which life has been taken re- 
minds one a bit of those times in the French Kevolution, 
which to me is one of the worst things in history. It 
is a number of nights now since we have slept with our 
clothes off. I feel very much as though I were made 
of wood, with a machine inside which makes me walk, 
talk, etc.— Mrs. H. S. Gait. 



SIEGE DAYS 95 

June 17th. — Sunday. This second Sunday is more 
noisy and work-a-day than the first, as each day seems 
to bring an attack nearer. We are now so well forti- 
fied that we do not fear the Boxers, but only the Chinese 
soldiers. The latter have not made any open attack 
as yet, but one of the generals has expressed it as his 
avowed purpose to prevent the foreign troops entering 
Peking, and has said that he does not intend to fire on 
the Boxers. This general alone has command of ten 
thousand soldiers. 

A request has been received from the Chinese Foreign 
Bureau asking us to relinquish the big key to the proper 
authorities, and not to take it again, but Major Conger 
advised us to pay no attention to this request. — Mrs. 
C. E. Ewing. 

Those who come in bring most fearful reports of the 
terror in the city, families fleeing for their lives, cut 
down in the streets — the dead lying everywhere — this 
in the month of June. God only can keep the city from 
pestilence. — J. G. Evans. 

All through the courts the scene is a busy one, even 
on this Sabbath day, — walls going up, and deep pits 
being dug everywhere to guard the approach to the 
chapel from all directions. Everybody is pressed into 
service, men, women and little children carrying bricks 
and wielding pickax and shovel. 

I was on guard from 6 to 8 in the morning, so had 
a quiet time with my Bible and the Lord. After break- 
fast we gathered our servants for prayers. By ^Ve" 
I mean the people in our house who are keeping house 
for us, most of us Tungchou people, but I was called 



96 SIEGE DAYS 

to lead prayers in the next house where there seemed no 
one to attend to it. After that I made the round of 
the refugees with Dr. Mackey, she to look after the 
sick ones, I to interpret for her and to speak words of 
cheer or possibly of reproof, as needed. Later we met 
in the chapel for worship and took that as a special 
answer to prayer, for the captain was unwilling to have 
us gather, — ^thought it unwise. But we felt that our 
people needed the help of the Sabbath service, so we 
prayed, and he was won over to give consent. Then 
those in charge of the work in the courts thought the 
work ought not to stop, but we felt sure it would do 
the men good to stop for an hour and get soul-nourish- 
ment, — ^that they would work better for it. That, too, 
the Lord brought about in answer to prayer. I had a 
meeting with the women in our courts in the after- 
noon and then our own English service, which I spe- 
cially enjoyed. Mr. Smith gave a very helpful, strong 
sermon on the 90th and 91st Psalms. After tea I went 
over to the other compound, and had a meeting with 
the women there, out in the court, as there is no room 
large enough for them to gather in. Later we had a 
delightful sing over at Mrs. Walker^s, all the marines 
who were off guard coming in, and seeming to enjoy it 
thoroughly. — M. E. Andrews. 

June 18th. — Monday. Yesterday, June 17th, a most 
unfortunate thing occurred, which we feared would 
bring immediate trouble on our heads. As some Chi- 
nese soldiers were passing by the Austrian Legation, 
the Germans threw stones at them, and immediately 
the Chinese fired, and for a while they had a lively 



SIEGE DAYS 97 

time. Nine Chinese were killed. They feared a serious 
attack at that time, and we all regret their lack of 
tact and wisdom in precipitating such a thing. Today 
word comes from the United States Minister that they 
had a very quiet night at the American Legation, with 
no developments, and advise all the present guards to 
stay quietly at their posts and not in any way to stir 
up the Chinese soldiers. We had a call from two or 
three of the Foreign Office last night, who stayed talk- 
ing for an hour and a half. We told them to tell the 
Empress we had heard enough of their promised pro- 
tection (the errand of these officials purporting to be 
the promise direct from the throne to protect us), and 
now proposed to protect ourselves, giving them to un- 
derstand something was going to happen when our 
soldiers got here. The boys' prayers would move 
hearts of stone, especially Gardner's. He is not afraid, 
because he says if he dies he will go to Jesus, but if 
the Boxers die, they will go to Satan. There are quite 
a number of children here, so they have a good time 
together. They are very fond of the marines, and play 
with them quite a little. The boys are just getting a 
little taste of what it would be to be soldiers, and they 
catch up a stick here and there, and shoulder it and go 
off in great style. 

Our hope is that the troops may be hastened on their 
way. All attempts to reach them have been in vain 
of late. One of our Christians, disguised as a rag- 
picker, reached the troops when they were thirty miles 
away. They were coming only five miles a day, re- 
pairing the railroad as they came. Since then, all at- 
tempts have failed. We live from moment to moment 



98 SIEGE DAYS 

only, walking not by sight, but only by faith. We are 
all miraculously delivered thus far from any disease, 
at a time of year when every one wants to get away 
from this vile city, even under the most favorable cir- 
cumstances. The men get a few snatches of sleep when 
they can. Every one of our Chinese helpers and school 
boys are working as coolies all day, and on waich dur- 
ing the night. Of course they feel it a privilege to do 
it. They are dependent on what we can do for them 
for their life and food. We all go dirty in clothes and 
person. There are no tubs or boards, but very little 
soap, the water is bitter, and every servant driven be- 
yond his strength. As to baths, the water is scarce and 
does not cleanse; the dirt and dust is 100 per cent, 
worse than anywhere else in China. We dare not take 
off our clothes to do more than a little here and there, 
and so we live in semi-civilized condition, yet as I wake 
up each morning it is only with joyfulness in my heart 
that we have been preserved another night, and at night 
it is the same for care during the day. — Mrs. E. G. 
Tewksbury. 

We have heard that the Tsun Hua missionaries (M. 
E. M.) have made a successful escape to Tientsin. We 
are still very anxious about Paotingfu. They have been 
in danger longer than we, and are far more helpless; 
there are only a few of them, probably unarmed, and 
^ith no fortifications — far away from help, at the mercy 
of the Boxers. But we have heard that up to the 12th 
they were safe; also that some Chinese soldiers were 
going to their relief (?). I was a little anxious when 
I heard that. Hyenas! But they are a trifle better 
than Boxers. Two days ago a few foreign soldiers here 



SIEGE DAYS 99 

raided a temple known to be a stronghold of the Box- 
ers, and found some boy Boxers engaged in disembowel- 
ing a little child. They say that on the streets the boy 
Boxers catch children at random and treat them thus. 
We had before this always comforted our girls by say- 
ing, "Outside the city the Boxers are to be dreaded, 
but here it is only boys who are practicing. Who is 
afraid of such children?" But now one can see how 
even a child, who yields himself fully to devil posses- 
sion, may become a fiend. — Ada Haven. 

I have been several days writing this letter. We afe 
still safe, and our defences are being made stronger 
every day. Our soldiers have not come, and messengers 
fail to reach them. One man who went a few days ago 
and returned is going again. During the Tungchou re- 
vival one of the gentlemen asked the Chinese Christ- 
ians, "Who of you are willing to die for Jesus ?" This 
man said, "I raised my hand ;" and now this thought is 
filling his mind and he is to go again, taking his life in 
his hand. Any one who goes must be ready to be 
searched, held up, killed. This man seems to be able 
to pass himself for Boxer, repairer of railroad, beggar, 
or anything else. — Grace Wyckoff. 

We have heard that the Boxers say we are too strongly 
fortified for common Boxers to attack, that there is a 
great mysterious Being from America upon the church 
who has a charm over the place, so they have sent every- 
where for the Boxer leaders, their strong men, and in 
seven more days they will make an attack. If our re- 
lief comes, we can "give them what they are looking 
for," as the marines say. Some way I fear nothing 

L.ofC. 



100 SIEGE DAYS 

but the fright to some of the very nervous women, even 
in our present condition. We have used ever so much 
barbed wire in our defenses, which would certainly as- 
tonish them, if nothing more, if they try to make a 
rush on it. The Boxers say it is in some way connected 
with mines which explode if the wire is touched. Some 
outsiders, also, have asked if one would receive a shock 
if it were touched, and have also inquired how many 
cannon we have. All these reports cannot fail to reach 
the ears of our enemies and help us. They have been 
learnin^^ that they are not so invulnerable to rifles as 
they claim to be. Hundreds have been killed by foreign 
soldiers during the last few days. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

We are in suspense waiting for our troops. Boxers 
have the road between the troops and us. A man got a 
message through a while ago by carrying it in a basket 
of sticks and chips, pretending to be a scavenger. — 
Maud A. Mackey, M. D. 

Dr. Arthur Smith complained one day about the time 
he spent looking for his tooth brush. He would like 
to have two, one for the church and one for the room 
he called home. — ^J. McKillican. 

Dr. Ament ventured out one day to see with his own 
eyes what had been done to the American Board com- 
pound. He came back, reporting it so burned up that 
not enough wood was left to make a toothpick. He had 
buried some valuable coins and some one else had buried 
100 taels underground ; even that was gone. The yards 
seemed to have been dug up for valuables. Pitiful 
stories we heard the next few days. — Miss B. C. McCoy. 



SIEGE DAYS 101 

June 19th. — A Boxer was caught this afternoon and 
handed over to the authorities. He was posting notices 
calling on the people to arise and destroy us today. 
They know their time must be now, before the soldiers 
come, or never. But we are very strongly fortified, and 
the system of watches and guards is very perfect. — Ada 
Haven. 

And now a change comes — the beginning of the end. 

On June 19 a letter came from Major Conger saying 
that the Ministers and all foreigners had been ordered 
out of the city at twenty-four hours' notice. At once 
we all said it was a scheme of the Chinese to massacre us 
all, and we prayed then and there that the Ministers 
might not fall into the trap. Some of the gentlemen 
went to the Legation and talked the matter over. The 
ministers had pointed out that we could not go; the 
railroad was not working, and where could we get carts 
for such a crowd? We missionaries said we could not 
and would not leave the Christians to fall into the hands 
of the enemy. Only God knows how heavy our hearts 
were that night, how little we knew how He would save 
us, or what the price was to be. — N. N. Kussell. 

But the foreign ambassadors decided to leave under 
the protection of the four or five hundred foreign sol- 
diers and a Chinese guard. Missionaries must go too, 
or remain unprotected. They could provide neither 
transportation nor protection for our thousands of 
Christians, Protestant and Catholic. Could we desert 
the people whom we loved better than our lives — who 
would be doomed to certain death the moment the sol- 
diers left them? We slept little that night, and God 



102 SIEGE DAYS 

answered our prayers in a most unexpected way. — Luel- 
la Miner. 

June 20th. — Wednesday. We have passed another 
terrible night, a night of much prayer, and again we 
are facing the dreadful possibility of being obliged to 
leave all these dear native Christians to massacre, or 
something worse. It seems as if we simply could not 
To die with them would be easy, as compared with leav- 
ing them to their fate. 

We were all called together after breakfast to hear 
the letters which had been sent to our Minister pro- 
testing against our being sent away, leaving our native 
Christians to their fate, — and his answer, which was that 
there seemed to be nothing else to do, since we were or- 
dered away by the Chinese government; that he should 
demand of them carts and an escort to take us to Tient- 
sin, and that we should be ready to leave at the latest 
by next morning. It was such sad word to take to our 
women and children. They felt our danger in going was 
as great as theirs in staying, and had little hope of see- 
ing us again here. We went to work to select from our 
little store of earthly goods those most important which 
we could take with us in our carts. — M. E. Andrews. 

Accustomed as I thought I had become to thoughts 
of bloodshed, it was nevertheless a dreadful thing to 
see it. As I was down in the native Christians' en- 
campment, some men came past bearing a man, a 
stranger to me, though a foreigner, on a litter. The 
look on his face I can never forget. I afterwards learned 
it was the German interpreter. He had been accom- 
panying the German Minister, Baron von Ketteler, who 



SIEGE DAYS 103 

was going to the Foreign Office a little earlier than the 
time set for all the Ministers to go. He was taken to 
the military quarters and there his wounds were dressed 
and he told his story. — Ada Haven. 

He told how Baron von Ketteler and himself had 
been fired upon by Imperial troops; that Baron von 
Ketteler was killed and he himself escaped death by 
a narrow chance. 

This attack proved that Imperial troops and Boxers 
were making common cause against foreigners, and 
that therefore rifles and possibly artillery would be 
used against the foreigners' positions; besides, all for- 
eigners were now convinced that to start to Tientsin 
meant to be massacred on the way and the act to be 
laid by the Chinese government to the account of an 
uprising of Boxers. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

An event as tragic as this seemed necessary in order 
to bring those in authority to a realizing sense of the 
danger. — Edna G. Terry, M. D. 

And now an order came from Capt. Hall for us to be 
ready to leave and go to the Legation in twenty min- 
utes. We could only take what we could carry in our 
hands. — N. N. Russell. 

The cruel part that seemed to crush what was left 
of our broken hearts, was that they said our Chinese 
could not be taken in and we must scatter them out. 
We knew it would mean slaughter to almost all. I 
cannot describe the awfulness of it, we could help them 
no further ; should we stay and be massacred with them 
or make a final attempt to save our lives for further 



104 SIEGE DAYS 

work? Just at this bitter crisis, God moved the hearts 
of those in power to say the Christians could be taken 
over and quartered in a prince's deserted palace by the 
legation. — A. G. Chapin. 

I went down again to see our people and say good-by 
to them, and was just turning away with a great sorrow 
of heart at the thought of leaving them at last with no 
protection from their enemies, when word came sud- 
denly that they were to be allowed to go with us, not 
to the Legation, but to a large place opposite, which was 
also under the protection of the guns. That was an- 
other precious answer to prayer. We had been so plead- 
ing that we might not be obliged to leave them. — Miss 
M. E. Andrews. 

At about 11 o'clock in the morning we started. At 
the head of the procession were the German soldiers 
bearing on their shoulders the litter of the German in- 
terpreter. Then, two by two, we women, each carry- 
ing a bundle or blanket, followed with our little ones, 
guarded by marines or armed missionaries. — Mrs. 
Chauncey Goodrich. 

The native women with their little ones in arms or 
clinging to them followed, the native men with spears 
and other weapons forming a guard on either side. Our 
school girls, marching in perfect order, came next, and 
the rest of the company filled up the rear. There was 
no sign of fear or panic among those helpless, home- 
less native Christians, and one who has lived many 
years in Peking said it was the most affecting sight he 
had ever seen in China. — Edna G. Terry, M. D, 



ftSi 



1^ 





ABBIE B. CHAPIN. 




RALPH AND ERNEST CHAPIN. 



SIEGE DAYS 105 

Can you see us, that bright June morning, seventy- 
one men, women, and children (foreigners), followed 
by 700 Chinese Christians, guarded by our American 
marines, twenty-one in all, the first secretary of the 
German legation on a long chair carried by a troop of 
German marines, walking that mile with our arms full 
of our earthly belongings ? — N. N". Russell. 

Soldiers were stationed along the route of march, 
but looking down upon us from the Ha Ta Gate 
not a block away were a thousand armed Chinese 
soldiers. Why they did not fire upon us then as they 
did a few hours later we do not know, unless it was that 
marvelous protection so wonderfully manifested dur- 
ing the siege. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

I cannot express the sense of relief with which we 
at last passed the great Ha Ta street that had witnessed 
so many cruel sights in the last few days, and came 
within the barricades on Legation street. That we were 
not attacked seems even now incomprehensible. With 
all our rejoicing, however, it was a very sad procession 
that the June sun looked down upon in that closing 
year of the nineteenth century. — Mrs. C. Goodrich. 

Luncheon of crackers, sardines, scrambled eggs and 
tea was served to s^venty missionaries by Mrs. Squiers. 
ISTo sooner had we reached our Legation than we were 
ordered on to the British, as it was reported that an 
attack was to be made that day at 4 p. m. So, passing 
through the Russian Legation, we came to our place 
of refuge in the British. — E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

A compound of about five acres, surrounded by a 



106 SIEGE DAYS 

wall fifteen feet high and five feet thick, I venture to 
say it would be difficult in any other city of the world 
to find a place better fitted to stand a Budden siege. — 
Mrs. Goodrich. 

Odds and EInds. 

My part in the siege was not in the least heroic, it was 
all odds and ends, bnt I enjoyed them. In the Metho- 
dist Mission I one day prayed that I might be guided, 
if some dreadful time was coming, that I might know 
what to do about it. I kept thinking about cocoa and 
milk, so I sent and laid in so much that my husband 
laughed at me. Toward the end of the siege when 
some drooped and some were ill, and not nourished, what 
a delight it was to have my own little store box, and re- 
fresh the tired mother whose baby always waked up day 
before yesterday, or the patient superintendent of the 
workmen, or the little shadowy Presbyterian boy who 
wasn't hungry. 

While trying to give odds and ends of comfort I was 
once sorely puzzled. It was before we left the Methodist 
Mission, where we lived under a great strain, fearing 
the Boxers would break in on us. I was in the wo- 
man's yard holding a meeting. Suddenly there was a 
dash of our spearmen through the yard, a buzz and 
commotion, and the air seemed electric. When the min- 
utes began to seem like hours, I decided to take the 
patient, quiet women, only awaiting my word, into the 
church. If the Boxers had not broken in, this could do 
no harm. There was no rush. As we went along I kept 
them reminded: "I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee.'' I was leading a blind woman, and carrying a 



SIEGE DAYS 107 

baby for a mother who had one too many. As we 
neared the church, a fair-faced foreign lady whom I had 
never seen before loomed up before my astonished gaze 
and said: "0, where shall I go?" "Into the church." 
"But my baby," she faltered. I looked, the little thing 
was all covered with "flowers" (smallpox). Merciful 
heaven, what a dilemma ! Inside with several scores of 
grown people and little children? Outside with the 
Boxers? I set her down gently between the horns and 
said, "Wait till I ask a doctor." It was only a false 
alarm, but it gave us courage, we found ourselves so 
brave. 

When we went to the Legation it was a little cyclone. 
"My dear, we are ordered to leave in twenty minutes, 
put your absolutely essential things together sharp." 
This from a man who is never late — but his wife some- 
times is. I flew at my trunks. The Master stopped me 
off short. Would I go into safety and protection and 
leave the disconsolate Christians without a word of 
cheer? No, indeed; so I ran over to the yard where 
they were, and told them that we were ordered to go 
and the guard were ordered to go too, and that if we 
stayed without the soldiers we should only make the de- 
struction of the Chinese Christians the more speedy. I 
emphasized once more the watch-word which all those 
weeks I had been drilling into them : "I will never leave 
thee nor forsake thee." A sweet-faced London Mission 
woman said: "Let us fast this noon, and get close to 
God, that He may deliver us." We promised to do so, 
and I went back to my trunks lighter hearted. God 
kept me quiet, and not flustered, and I got all that I 
really needed, and stepped into the line last of all, but 



108 SIEGE DAYS 

radiant, for "Before they call, I will answer, and while 
they are yet speaking I will hear." The heart of the 
Commander had been turned, and the dear Christians 
were to go with us after all ! — Mrs. A. H. Smith. 

The Semi-Siege. 

(This general article, from the pen of Mrs. Gamewell, is such 
a summary of this whole period that it is given entire, instead 
of arranging under the particular days touched upon.) 

Kefugees from the great persecution sweeping the 
country districts were daily arriving at the gates of 
every mission in Peking, bringing tales of violence that 
increased in horror. 

Hordes of Imperial troops swarmed into the city 
where already the Boxers were at work. Their trumpets 
sounded from every quarter, and a forest of banners 
floated from the city wall. 

Among diplomats and missionaries, even the slowest 
to believe the worst import of the multiplying storm 
signals that were flying admitted the gravity of the 
situation, and those of clearest vision began to brace 
themselves for a crash. 

Dr. Ament, with cool daring, left Peking in the 
night taking a train of carts to Tungchou, twelve miles 
from Peking, where the Congregational Mission was 
holding its annual meeting, and succeeded in conveying 
the missionaries, and the Chinese refugees in their 
charge, to Peking. 

By advice of Minister Conger, Presbyterians and Con- 
gregationalists, with their native Christians, assembled 
within the compound of the Methodist Mission, where 



SIEGE DAYS 109 

they were soon joined by members of the London Mis- 
sion who also had native Christians in charge. 

The way was more direct from the legations to the 
Methodist Mission than that which led to any other 
Mission, and it was important that a plain course should 
lie before the soldiers who were strangers in the city, 
when an emergency might call them from legation to 
mission ; besides the Methodist Mission was more easily 
fortified than the other mission compounds. 

There were gathered into the compound many times 
the number that the buildings therein were designed to 
accommodate. 

The missionaries had come with trunks and bedding 
only. All their other possessions were abandoned and 
lost in the great destruction that swept away homes, 
school houses, hospitals and churches. 

In the overflowing houses, bedding was spread upon 
all available floors, and the company divided itself for 
picnic housekeeping, according to the number of kitch- 
ens in the place. 

Pavilions were put up in the courts to accommodate 
Chinese for whom there was no place in the school houses 
or other buildings. 

Urgent activity filled all the days, and day and night 
everybody moved in a perpetual round of alarms, ru- 
mors, questioning and uncertainty. 

Among those comrades in peril there were differing 
opinions as to the character of the peril ; and there was 
little unanimity of judgment on any point of the kaleid- 
oscopic situation, in which all foreigners in Peking 
were involved. Some solemnly questioned if they might 



110 SIEGE DAYS 

not have saved their own and mission property hy re- 
maining at home. 

Concerning the Chinese Christians, whose numher was 
constantly increasing within the courts, some believed 
that their safety lay in scattering as remotely as possi- 
ble from foreigners, and were agonized by the constant 
coming of others to swell the numbers already inside 
the mission walls. On the other hand there were those 
who were convinced that the only chance for the Chi- 
nese Christians to escape destruction was to abide with 
the foreigners. 

In this connection occurred an incident that illustrates 
a possibility of Chinese character. 

During those days of dire uncertainty a missionary 
went into a kitchen where her cook was then cooking 
for a combination of odds and ends of families that 
crowded that particular house, and said to him that 
now was his chance to escape, and offered him money 
to take himself and family out of the city; and she 
warned him that as things then looked, he would prob- 
ably be killed if he staid among the foreigners. He 
turned and looked quietly at her as she spoke, his big, 
dark eyes glowing in a face already lean and care-worn, 
then said, "The lady herself is not going, is she ?" 

^'No." 

"She is not afraid to die?" 

"No." 

"Neither am I. I shall not go." 

His choice probably saved his life, but he did not 
know it at the time of choosing. He was a church mem- 
ber but a very wavering Christian, but like many an- 
other member not much esteemed for pure piety, when 



SIEGE DAYS 111 

tried by the strokes of those terrible days, he rang 
true, and true he was to the end. 

Affairs moved rapidly to a crisis that reduced con- 
flicting opinions to a unit and resolved varying judg- 
ments into a single conviction. 

A party by a wild ride through burning stations, and 
over roads where an up-torn rail or damaged bridge 
might at any moment send them plunging to destruc- 
tion, had reached Tientsin. Then from Tientsin had 
come word that Tsun Hua was threatened. Within the 
Mission hurried good-byes were said, and two mission- 
aries whose families were in Tsun Hua, armed and on 
horseback, sallied forth into the disturbed streets hoping 
to reach the station and make a swift trip to Tientsin 
and from there to Tsun Hua. Alas, the road was al- 
ready wrecked. No more trains would run. They re- 
turned to those who with apprehension had seen them 
set out, to watch with them — and oh, with what anxious 
hearts — the developing storm. 

The railroad was gone. Soon the mail was cut off. 
Then one day, among the notices tacked upon the trunk 
of a great tree in the midst of the compound, was a 
note from Minister Conger saying the 1,600 troops un- 
der Captain McCalla had been heard from at a point 
only thirty miles from Peking. Hope beat high with 
the reading of that notice, but that was the last Peking 
heard of McCalla and the relief corps for many a long 
day. Messengers sent to meet him with letters were 
turned back unable to make a way through the ranks 
of the enemy. 

Next the telegraph lines were destroyed. Then indeed 
was Peking cut off from the outside world. 



112 SIEGE DAYS 

Inside the compound all was astir and preparation. 
Councils despatched messengers to the Legation, meet- 
ings appointed committees, committees protected by guns 
brought in food supplies, committees looked after tKe 
multitudinous wants of the multitude and organized 
them for swift movement in time of attack. 

The soldiers kept guard day and night, and English- 
speaking students from the Peking University were de- 
tailed to keep company with the sentinels to translate 
each challenge from English to the Chinese language. 

In dark nights and in the beating rain, as well as 
through fair days and moonlit nights, the constant vigil 
was faithfully kept. 

Women sentinels were appointed also. Through the 
days and nights as well, a set of woman took turns at 
watches of two hours each. These watches were kept on 
verandas and there were chairs for the sentinels. 

The sentinels on the verandas, and the organizing 
committees, were part of an arrangement by which all 
Chinese Christians could be gathered swiftly into the 
church in time of attack. One watch was kept where a 
soldier could readily find and notify the sentinel of ap- 
proaching peril. She then would speed away and notify 
the other sentinels on other verandas, who would set all 
moving towards the church. The Chinese responded 
promptly and intelligently to these organized move- 
ments. Like veteran soldiers, without noise or panic, 
they obeyed with precision and speed. 

An incident, that with a little different turn in affairs 
might have proven serious, led to the appointment of 
another functionary. 

The presence of the soldiers in the Mission was to the 



SIEGE DAYS 113 

imperiled missionaries like a strong arm reached from 
the beautiful homeland, whose touch brought a comfort- 
ing sense of being cared for. Besides, the uniforms 
awoke in one missionary at least memories of "war 
days/' when the sons and brothers and husbands and 
fathers of the best families in the state were recruited 
and drilled in the many camps that encircled a town on 
the Mississippi, where she had her home. The enthus- 
iasm of the stirring girlhood days awoke for the brave 
"boys in blue'' come to China to protect — possibly to 
die for — her and the rest. When the rush of the day was 
over she joined the soldier on his beat, and up and down 
the court she walked through the small hours of the 
night, watching the Stars and Stripes floating in the 
moonlight from the roof of the church and listening to 
the soldier talk of home and the fight in the Philippines. 
An environment filled with danger and the unusual 
seemed to have created a condition wherein weariness 
and sleep were alike impossible. But the collapse came. 
A friend found a quiet corner and one afternoon put her 
into it, and she immediately fell into a profound sleep. 
She suddenly awoke in a deep stillness where had been 
the noise of urgent activity. In the stillness she heard 
the closing of a distant door. Startled, she stepped to 
the window and spoke to a passing soldier. He told her 
that the alarm had been given, and all but the guard 
were already shut into the church. She had been over- 
looked in her quiet comer. Between her and the church 
lay a heavy barricade with gate now closed. The ap- 
proaching troops who had caused the alarm passed by, 
but if an attack had been made she would have found 
herself among fighting men, if not in way of their fire, 



114 SIEGE DAYS 

and a thick, high wall with closed gate between herself 
and the church. To avoid such an occurrence, there was 
appointed to each house one whose duty it was to see that 
no one was left behind when the warning was given and 
non-combatants betook themselves to the shelter of the 
church. 

After a few days it was ordered that women and child- 
ren should spend all nights in the church. Thereafter 
four missionary women nightly retired to the floor of a 
vestibule of the church, one armed with a formidable 
iron poker, nearly as long as she was tall, another with 
an ax, another with a revolver, and still another with a 
patent nail-puller that carries a murderous beak. No 
Boxers were to assail their girls and other helpless Chi- 
nese until they had felt the force of at least one stroke 
of the poker, one swing of the ax, one shot of the re- 
volver, and one fell blow from the nail-puller. 

One of these martial women, meeting the captain in 
the court one day, said to him that when the attack was 
on and the fight begun, she would like to help in any 
way and anywhere that he thought she might be use- 
ful. She had visions of pioneer days when women car- 
ried ammunition and loaded muskets; but these were 
modern days, and the captain belonged to a modern 
army. His reply was, "The most helpful thing a wo- 
man can do in a fight is to keep out of the way.'' These 
were rather stunning words, but she looked at the Cap- 
tain standing so straight and stern, and remembered 
that she probably was old enough to be his mother and 
that he was still a brave young soldier in spite of his 
blunt speech. The Captain seemed to take a second 
thought. Then, with still unsmiling countenance be 



SIEGE DAYS 115 

said, ''^There is one thing you can do — when the firing 
begins you can take charge of the hysterical women and 
try to keep them quiet !" 

Oh, then did the brave Captain disclose his ignorance 
of the stuff those women were made of ! Without hu- 
morous intent be had uttered a bit of richest humor. 
The missionary repeated the Captain's saying to her 
comrades over whose hysterical performances she was 
appointed to preside, and possibly took satisfaction in 
the smile that went around at the Captain's expense. 

As soon as violence appeared in the city the work of 
fortifying the Mission had begun, and it was more and 
more urgently pushed after the soldiers arrived, and 
through all the days of the two weeks of the semi-siege. 
The work in the Mission proved to be training that 
prepared the way for the fortification of the Legations 
which enabled foreigners there to hold out through the 
two months that preceded the arrival of the Allies. 

Walls were laid across the wide enclosure of the Mis- 
sion compound. Barbed wire labyrinths were construct- 
ed. Wooden gates were built over with masonry. Deep 
ditches were dug. The church windows were built in 
with bricks and loopholed. Large quantities of bricks 
were piled on the church roof to be dropped upon the 
heads of the attacking party. Drains were let into the 
church. Its doors were covered with iron. Trunks were 
piled in the entrances ready to barricade the doors. Fur- 
naces were built, and water was boiled in big cauldrons 
set thereon and, thus purified, was stored in huge water 
jars in the church. Hundreds of boiled eggs and stacks 
of Chinese biscuits were stored in the church. With 
urgent haste all things were hurried into shape for the 



116 SIEGE DAYS 

expected attack and possible siege of the Boxers, wbo 
fought with sword and torch only, discarding rifles and 
artillery because they are of foreign origin. 

Partition walls and brick walks were torn up to pro- 
vide material for fortifications. The material was car- 
ried sometimes from one extreme of the enclosure to the 
other. Among others who hurried the work, women and 
boys loaded the brick into baskets which they carried on 
poles, or carried them piled upon their clasped hands 
or in upturned garments. Little mites of children with 
pathetically serious faces toddled in the long line, each 
carrying one brick, or two or three according to its 
strength. There was work for all, and even the babies 
shared the labor. 

A sergeant of the guards drilled a company of mis- 
sionaries who were armed with rifles sent in from the 
British Legation, and the missionaries had each a posi- 
tion assigned which he was to keep when an attack was 
made. 

Among the Chinese there was one who met with gen- 
teel surprise a suggestion that he was needed among the 
diggers in a ditch. It was unseemly that a student 
should soil his garments and harden his hands with 
such labor. ^'Lig or go into the streets," was the com- 
mand. "In the streets they would kill me." "Very 
likely they will," was the grim reply. Questioning eyes 
looked into determined eyes. A lesson was absorbed and 
digging became possible. 

There was an appointment that was not made public 
whereby three students of Peking University were 
pledged to a hazardous undertaking. When the attack 
was on and threatened to overwhelm, these students were 



SIEGE DAYS 117 

to drop from different parts of the Mission walls, find a 
way through the lines of the enemy and run for the 
Legation to bring promised reinforcements. They knew 
that three were appointed to insure that one might suc- 
ceed, and that it was not expected that all would sur- 
vive the attempt, yet with good courage they held them- 
selves ready. 

The x\merican soldiers had left their vessels on short 
notice. While at dinner they had received orders to re- 
port at once for Peking. They had come in their heavy 
uniforms, not having time to provide anything more 
fitted for summer wear. While it was yet possible to 
make purchases at the shops, the ladies took up a col- 
lection among the missionaries, and sent and procured 
enough navy-blue drilling and brass buttons to fit the 
soldiers with light weight suits. They had no experi- 
ence with making gentlemen's clothes and they thought 
the soldiers might object to the fit, but after consulting 
the Captain as to the regularity of the proceeding (for 
all were under military rule those days), they entered 
upon the undertaking. They ripped up a duck suit be- 
longing to a gentleman of the party, for a pattern. Then 
one of their number cut coats and another cut trousers. 
To be sure the soldiers were tall and short, heavy and 
slight, but the pattern was medium. And there was 
to be a basting and fitting of each suit. While two cut 
many basted. Then the fitter went down to the soldiers' 
house and one by one pinned and fitted until every gar- 
ment was adjusted and a name attached. Then the sew- 
ing machines were put in motion while another lot was 
being cut, basted and fitted. The soldier boys, swelter- 
ing in heavy uniforms, beamed with delight over the 



118 SIEGE DAYS 

prospect of a cooler outfit, much to the satisfaction of 
the ladies who had begun the enterprise with some doubts 
concerning the soldiers' opinion of their tailoring.* 

Four pockets seemed a large addition to the work of 
making those close fitting jackets, so the ladies ven- 
tured to inquire in as disinterested a manner as possible 
how many pockets were essential to complete a soldier's 
jacket. ^Tour/' was the emphatic and unhesitating re- 
ply. So four it was. Four pockets and a row of brass 
buttons and a little standing collar adjusted under the 
direction of the soldiers, and the jackets were pronounced 
satisfactory. Concerning one point only were these 
brave soldier boys particular, and that was that there 
should be no hint of flare where the trousers meet the 
feet, for these soldiers of the marine corps were sensitive 
on the subject, and anxious that no extra width of 
trouser should cause them to be mistaken for sailors. 
When the suits were on, and the cartridge belts and 
the gaiters adjusted, and the women watched the sol- 
diers march by, four pockets and a full row of brass 
buttons each, they congratulated themselves on their 
successful attempt at tailoring and said, "One could 
not tell these suits from the regular uniforms.'^ 

The activities of the days were occasionally inter- 
rupted by a call from Minister Conger, about whom all 
gathered and listened with brightening faces to his words 

*Outting and making men's clothing was new work for us, 
but we went about it, and on the whole, we were rather proud 
of our amateur tailoring. We did not know at first whether 
the men appreciated our efforts or not, but when the clothes 
were nearly finished, and we feared one suit might be missing, 
one of the men said he ''hoped it was not his." — Miss E. Gr. 
Terry, M.D. 




MISS EDNA G. TERRY, M. D 




:»**- 




EMMA E. MARTIN. 



LIZZIE E. MARTIN. 



SIEGE DAYS 119 

of cheer and courage. There were other callers who 
braved the dangers of the streets and carried to the 
Legations reports of the Mission fortifications. 

The fame of the fortifications seemed to have reached 
the enemy also. Reports from them indicated that fear 
of what was being prepared for them within the Mission 
premises operated to hold off an attack. During all 
the riot of burning and killing that raged in the city 
in the days of the semi-siege in the Mission, an outlook 
kept watch on the peak of the church. The soldier's 
trim figure outlined against the sky, appeared large, 
strange and impressive to the superstitious natives. 
Among the Boxers it was reported that a strange being 
had lighted upon the church and poised there for the 
protection of foreigners, and many added days of prac- 
tice would be necessary before the Boxers could over- 
come the power of this being and venture an attack. 

Fires began with the burning a street chapel of the 
Methodist Mission in a street near by. A great crowd 
was there and they started in the direction of the Mis- 
sion. Captain Hall called eight of his men and charged 
the crowd, which fled and went by another way. When 
the soldiers returned one remarked with great glee, "It 
was the yell that we let out that sent them flying." 

One night the air boomed with the roar of a multi- 
tude who shouted for the space of three hours, "Kill, 
kill, death to the foreigners !" There seemed to be a 
great concourse just over the wall in the Southern City, 
opposite the Mission. Some were deeply anxious that 
the Legations should know of the disturbance but there 
seemed to be an opinion against trying to reach the Le- 
gation with a message at that hour of the night. Un- 



120 SIEGE DAYS 

observed, Mr. Hobart quietly departed and went alone 
to the Legation though the night was far spent and one 
could not know in what condition he would find the 
streets. Cool and courageous he went and returned. He 
reported that Minister Conger and Captain Myers had 
been on the city wall listening and watching. They 
had discovered that the whole Southern City had turned 
out to burn incense and prostrate themselves and then 
stood and howled that dreadful cry of "Kill, kill V 

One day after the burning of the Congregational Mis- 
sion, Dt. Ament, with characteristic daring went into 
the neighborhood to see if any of his people there needed 
help. On his return he was followed by a boy who 
kept out of sight until Dr. Ament was about to enter 
the Mission gate. Then he came forward and begged, 
"0, take me in with you." All dirty and forlorn. Dr. 
Ament did not recognize him, but he plead saying, "I 
am your Sunday school boy." Then he told how the 
shopkeeper to whom he was apprenticed had turned 
him into the street because he feared the Boxers would 
be after him for harboring a Sunday school pupil. In 
great peril he had managed to hide until he discovered 
Dr. Ament and followed him. Finally he was recognized 
and brought into the Mission. Afterwards, in behalf 
of the besieged within the Legations, he braved death 
and, let down over the city wall in the night, made a 
trip to Tientsin and back to bring word to the besieged 
from the outside world. 

While the fires burned and the mobs raged, and Im- 
perial troops swarmed on city wall and in the streets, 
the marine guard kept watch, the missionaries fortified 
their courts and cared for the people crowded there; 



SIEGE DAYS 121 

and amidst a ceaseless round of labor, hoping, doubt- 
ing, questioning and wondering, marines and mission- 
aries listened day and night for the comng of McCalla 
and the Relief Column. 

Two weeks passed; then on the 19th of June came 
orders from the Legation to be ready to leave the city 
at a moment's notice. The Chinese government had 
60 ordered and gave twenty-four hours wherein all for- 
eigners within the walls must set off for Tientsin, one 
hundred miles away, railroad destroyed and city and 
country swarming with the troops and Boxers. Over 
in the High School of the Mission, more than one hun- 
dred girls and their teacher received the order. Into 
what testing of character it brought those young girls. 
The missionaries expected to meet death outside the 
city gates in case they were compelled to go. To stay 
contrary to orders would involve the Chinese Christians 
in certain death. To send them forth might save them. 

They were called together ; money sufficient to support 
one for two or three months was given to each girl, and 
they were told how they were to be scattered among the 
families of the Mission's Chinese neighbors ; then before 
parting all those girls with their teacher knelt in 
prayer. There was no outcry — ^no panic — but with 
white faces and steady courage the girls knelt. Then in 
that hour of deadly peril each one consecrated herself 
to God. If life be given them it shall be a life of serv- 
ice; if death, then God's will be done, was the con- 
secration prayer. They sang, "Where He leads me I 
will follow." Then their teacher followed in supplica- 
tion in behalf of her charges, and who can tell of the 



123 SIEGE DAYS 

agony of heart with which her cry sought God, in the 
black darkness of that hour? 

"Before they call I will answer and while they are 
yet speaking I will hear them." 

The soldiers of the Chinese Imperial army had swept 
into action. The first shot was fired, and Baron von 
Ketteler, Germany's Ambassador, lay dead in the streets 
of China^s capital — shot by an officer of the Imperial 
troops. The German interpreter who had accompanied 
Baron von Ketteler on the way to the Foreign Office that 
20th day of June, 1900, found the Methodist Mission 
his nearest refuge and, desperately wounded, was helped 
within the lines there and told the startling tale of the 
killing of his chief and of his own escape, before he 
sank into unconsciousness. Then a messenger was 
despatched to the Legations. 

Other events had been sending their converging lines 
towards the climax of that day, and now at last, in the 
"nick of time," there was a place within the Legation 
lines for the Chinese. Swift orders found waiting sol- 
diers and missionaries. "Come at once within the Le- 
gation lines and bring your Chinese with you/' 

There was to be no parting. With joy, missionaries 
and their charges fell into line, and under guard of the 
brave boys in blue, marched away in long procession, 
through streets overlooked by a host of armed men who 
watched in silence the moving throng, until it was re- 
ceived into the barricades in Legation street. 

The semi-siege was ended. The siege of Peking was 
begun. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 



THE SIEGE 



FIRST WEEK. 

I. Journals. 

II. Articles. 

Life in the Chapel. — Mrs. Chapin, Mrs. Walker and 
others. 

The Axe is laid at the Root of the Tree. — Mrs. Good- 
rich. 
Our Workers. 

III. Children's Corner — Dorothea Goodrich. 

FIRST WEEK. 

Journals. 

June 20th. — June 20th of the year 1900 was a day 
long to be remembered by the company of missionaries 
who for twelve days had been in semi-siege on the prem- 
ises of the Methodist Mission. Those days had been so 
full of new experiences that we were not altogether un- 
prepared for the order, "Go to the American Legation at 
11 a. m." — from thence whither no one knew. When a 
little later, however, all were escorted to the British Le- 
gation and assigned a place, there came a sense of re- 
lief from the uncertainty and anxiety which many had 
shared. The future was unknown, but the loving Father 
who knows all from the beginning to the end, wliom, 

123 



124 SIEGE DAYS 

though we see him not, we love and trust, was never 
more real and precious than at this time. — Miss Grace 
Wyckoff. 

And the first thing to think of was how to prepare 
for this siege. For instance, there was the rescue of 
baggage, as thus described by Mrs. Ewing : — 

When we had left the Methodist Mission we were first 
told we were to take all we could carry for baggage, 
next that nothing could go except what the ladies 
could carry, next that the ladies and children were to 
go first, and the gentlemen and marines would wait un- 
til all baggage and provisions had been sent over. With 
all these conflicting orders, it was hard to pack for 
flight. I did not carry anything, as the two children 
were enough for me to look after. Miss Eussell and Miss 
Sheffield took turns with me in carrying Ellen, while 
I carried their things. We had been at the legation 
only a few minutes when our gentlemen and marine 
guard came in. Captain Hall was afraid of an immedi- 
ate attack following the murder of the German minis- 
ter, and would not stay after getting the ladies off. So, 
of course, the gentlemen had nothing else to do but 
come too and leave our things. Our worldly belongings 
will almost go into a red cotton handkerchief. — Mrs. 
C. E. EWing. 

On arriving at the Legation Dr. Ament, brave and in- 
trepid in all circumstances, seeing that the attack had 
not yet commenced, went back almost alone to the Meth- 
odist Mission to rescue his bicycle. His example stimu- 
lated others. — Ada Haven. 



SIEGE DAYS 125 

As everything remained quiet in the early part of the 
afternoon, about ten gentlemen and 100 Chinese went 
back to the M. E. compound. The looters had been at 
work and had opened everything that was not fast 
locked, some locks, too, being broken. There were 
great quantities of goods scattered all over the church, 
and these our Chinese gathered up into sheets and 
quilts as best they could. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

And how grateful we felt to them for this, some of 
us who had left, through force of circumstances, with 
only the clothes on our backs! And how eagerly we 
looked over the bundles brought in, hoping to find 
(usually, of course in vain) some necessary garment. 
But other needs still more urgent demanded the strength 
of most. — A. H. 

The men took supplies from deserted Chinese food 
and grain shops in our vicinity. Foreign stores turned 
their stocks over to the foreigners. Carts and mules 
were seized on the street, and our reverend missionaries 
were driving them at full speed, laying up supplies of 
food and fuel. — E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

Carts filled with trunks and provisions kept coming 
in. During these last few hours of safety every one was 
putting forth strenuous efforts to secure supplies; and 
for the first time in our lives we saw Europeans in the 
Orient working like common coolies. — Mrs. C. Good- 
rich. 

For a time the great question was, "What is to be 
done about the native Christians?" The authorities at 
first insisted that they must be left behind, but that 



126 SIEGE DAYS 

meant certain death, and- yet where could room be found 
for so many ? The way opened np in a wonderful man- 
ner. A large place was found quite near the Legation. 
Prince Su, who owned the place, decided he had better 
leave, and in that way accommodation was found not 
only for the Protestants, but for over 2,000 Catholic 
refugees as well. It was afterwards found that this 
place had to be brought within our lines in order to pro- 
tect the Legation, and if the Christians had not come 
and occupied it and helped with the fortifications and 
guard duty, it would have been impossible for us to 
hold out.*— J. C. McKillican. 

When Prince Su left, we moved our Christians right 
in. The fires were not out in the ranges and there were 
stores of coal and grain, just as though God's hand had 
beautifully prepared everything for them. Indeed He 
had! It is a lovely large place, with beautiful wells, 
etc. It is an indication that God is going to bless us in 
that we kept them with us. The reporter of the Lon- 
don Times, Dt. Morrison, when the question came up 
of bringing the Chinese into the defenses, said that if 
they were not allowed to come he should be ashamed to 
call himself a white man. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

As soon as possible we went over to see our people. 
We found them huddled together in groups under the 
trees in a great open court. A large building belonging 
to the prince who had fled was soon opened to them, so 
that they have quite comfortable quarters. We stayed 
and helped them clear out the rooms and get them ready 



*This place is sometimes called the Su Wang Fu, and some- 
times this is shortened to the **ru. *' 



SIEGE DAYS 127 

to shelter the mothers and babies. But a call came to 
come back at once to the Legation, and shortly after- 
wards the Chinese opened fire on us, though without 
doing any harm. — M. E. Andrews. 

The British Legation is situated just south of the 
southeastern corner of the wall of the Imperial City, 
separated from it only by the Han Lin library. A moat 
which surrounds the Forbidden City, and flows out of 
the Imperial City under this wall, passes just below 
the tree-shaded road at the east of the Legation, and 
separates it from the palace of Prince Su, in the courts 
of which our Christians and the Catholic refugees were 
quartered. Both gates of the Legation were on this 
street. The Legations were all surrounded by walls 
twelve to fifteen feet high. 

Upon entering the British Legation a scene of great 
confusion presented itself. Boxes, bundles, mattresses, 
baby carriages, trunks, carts, canned stores, stacked and 
dropped about in any available place. The comfortable 
houses and pleasant lanes of the Legation crowded with 
anxious people; some standing helplessly about, others 
dragging and pulling at their belongings ; babies crying 
or staring wonderingly at such an unusual sight ; child- 
ren hopping and skipping under the trees; dogs bark- 
ing furiously; ponies neighing; Jesuit priests, native 
converts, missionaries and diplomats talking and work- 
ing. The French Catholic sisters sitting disconsolately 
on the stone steps of the pavilion, some weeping, others 
gravely endeavoring to cheer up the native Christian 
converts, who had been rescued from the burning cathe- 
drals. Hurry, hurry everywhere, and every heart filled 



128 SIEGE DAYS 

with two emotions, relief, because of the niimber gath- 
ered together for better protection and defense, and fear 
of mmediate and impending danger. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

The British Legation in Peking contains between five 
and six acres. There were about twelve houses, beside 
the one occupied by the British minister, and in these 
and every other available place the people found refuge. 
—Edna G. Terry, M. D. 

Within the Legation lines were representatives of sev- 
enteen nations and the ministers of eleven of the powers. 
There were secretaries of Legations, interpreters of Le- 
gations, gentlemen of the Imperial customs service (ili- 
including Inspector General Sir Eobert Hart), the presi- 
dent of the Imperial University, the president of the 
Imperial College, professors from both institutions, 
bankers, merchants, travelers, visitors, hotel-keepers and 
missionaries — between four and five hundred in all.* — 
Mrs. F. D. Game well. 

Houses were assigned to' the large Imperial Chinese 
Customs Staff, at the head of which was Sir Eobert 



*Tlie nationalities represented here (British Legation) are 
American, Austrian, Belgian, Boer, British, Chinese, Danish, 
Dutch, French, Finn, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, 
Portuguese, Eussian, Spanish and Swedish. This does not 
include such as Irish, Scotch, Canadian, Australian, etc., nor a 
goodly number of Eurasians. They are divided thus: men, 245; 
women, 149 ; children, 79 ; total, 473, not including the marines, 
of whom there were 409, of the following nationalities: Aus- 
trian, 35; French, 45; German, 50; British, 82; Italian, 31; 
Japanese, 29; Eussian, 84; American, 53. The Chinese here 
number about 700 to 800 Protestants and 2,000 Catholics. — 
Mrs. E. K. Lowry. 




MISS BESSIE MELOY. 




ROOM IN CORNER HOUSE WITH MISS D. M. DOW. 



SIEGE DAYS 129 

Hart, and to the Russian, French and United States Le- 
gations. All other refugees and a large number of ma- 
rines were lodged in the student quarters, the bowling 
alley, the theatre, the two great tile-roofed pavilions 
directly in front of Sir Claude Macdonald's house, or in 
the great hallways of his handsome Oriental home, which 
was once the palace of a royal Chinese prince. — Mrs. C. 
Goodrich. 

The English missionaries, a few American mission- 
aries and all other civilians were put up in the various 
houses wherein the members of the British legation had 
their homes. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

As we came into the British Legation compound, the 
American missionaries were assigned to the Legation 
chapel. During the weeks which followed, that chapel 
served as bed room, work room, dining room and nur- 
sery all combined. Only about forty could sleep in 
the chapel, and the rest had to be provided for else- 
where. Eight or nine ladies slept that night up stairs 
on the floor of a small room in a building which was 
a target for the enemy. The house was fired upon re- 
peatedly during the night, and it was necessary for us 
to find a safer place. 

After sleeping for two weeks on the floor of the 
chapel in the Methodist compound, some of us were not 
quite sure that we wanted to "dwell in the house of the 
Lord forever." It was therefore a radical change when 
we were assigned to the ball room of the Legation. This 
was a large, beautiful room, quiet and retired, and we 
were as comfortable as we could be with our limited 
possessions. It would seem that the church and the 



130 SIEGE DAYS 

world were both, represented in the British Legation, 
when we remembered that two families occupied the 
billiard room, the night nurses slept in the smoking 
room, and the British marines were quartered in the 
Legation theater.— Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

It was not long until a fair degree of order was 
brought about. Some sort of accommodations were 
given to all, and the best was made of very uncomfort- 
able quarters ; all realized that personal convenience was 
a very small affair compared to security of lives. Be- 
fore nightfall in that memorable day, every foreigner 
in Peking, with the exception of Father Favier and his 
band of helpers and forty-five French and Italian sol- 
diers, was gathered either into the British legation 
itself or within the line of barricade held by the ma- 
rines. — Mrs. I. Inglis. 

It was with something of a sense of relief that we 
found ourselves within those Legation walls that after- 
noon. We had been scattered before. Now the forces 
were to be concentrated, and the representatives of the 
different nations assembled there were to make one 
common cause. We were in a situation which has no 
parallel in all history. There was no chance to sur- 
render, and none to retreat. Tlie enemy closed in about 
us, and the struggle began. — Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

Well, we reached here Wednesday afternoon, with the 
purpose expressed by the ministers to stay and fight 
it out. Word was received that night from the Chinese 
Foreign Office expressing their deep feeling for the for- 
eigners, saying the utmost protection would be afforded. 



SIEGE DAYS 131 

As it was impracticable for us to leave the city, we 
should receive protection here, and they hoped we would 
feel no alarm and that our soldiers would preserve the 
peace. Acting, as we suppose, on this avowal, Prof. 
James went out of the compound just before dark, un- 
armed. He had been with the native Christians trying to 
help them get settled in their new quarters, and we think 
he may have gone out to do more for them. A British 
soldier on guard saw all that followed. Prof. James 
walked as far as the bridge to the north, and there a 
few soldiers rode up. Some three hundred had passed 
a few minutes before and these were the stragglers. 
One soldier raised his gun to fire, but Prof. James 
threw up his hands to show he was unarmed. The sol- 
dier lowered his gun and Prof. James started to run. 
He was again covered with the rifle, and this time the 
soldier dismounted, laid his hand on Prof. James' 
shoulder and led him away. Our men had strict or- 
ders not to fire the first shot, and so they had to obey, 
and a brave man must lose his life, perhaps after severe 
torture. We know not the end, but cannot but think 
he was killed in some way. Prof. James has shown a 
very helpful spirit through all. He predicted serious 
trouble and promised to stand by the missionaries and 
the Chinese to the end, and did as much to gain protec- 
tion for the native Christians as any of the mission- 
aries. He was very busy all the time collecting reliable 
news, assisting Dr. Morrison. The latter has been real- 
ly the only correspondent whose words have had weight 
in England. He has been vary careful to tell only 
well authenticated facts. Ten minutes after Prof. 



132 SIEGE DAYS 

James was led away, firing commenced, the first shots 
from the Chinese soldiers. This firing has kept up 
almost without intermission, but without apparent aim 
or purpose except to frighten us. The Chinese do not 
dare show their heads, but point their guns up in the 
air and bang away. We soon got used to this. — Mrs. 
Ewing. 

In the evening we sat down to a picnic supper in the 
chapel. Then where were we all to sleep? Some 
gentlemen went out of doors, a few ladies were given 
rooms, and the rest of us, men, women and children, 
slept in the church. We did not dare disrobe lest we 
should have to flee for our lives. The night was warm, 
the babies were cross, and the rest is better imagined 
than told. — Miss E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

June 21. Such times I never expected to see, but 
if we only get out of it, it will have been worth living 
through, and God doesn't send experiences, even such 
awful ones as these, without a purpose. — Mrs. H. S. 
Gait. 

The day after we came in here, the custom-houses 
were fired and the Austrian Legation abandoned. The 
Boxers, flourishing knives, approached the Legation, and 
the machine guns were turned on them, killing and 
wounding sixty. This drove them away for the time. 
—Miss N. N. Russell. 

It is a relief for us ladies to find that tliere is a work 
not only for the gentlemen but for us, right in our own 
lines of work, too — with our needles. On this day we 
commence to make sand bags. They tell us the troops 



SIEGE DAYS 133 

are not far off — that they can be seen from the wall! 
Who knows? We have had a piece of work trying to 
find a place to do cooking in — seventy to provide for, 
and no sign of a place to make a fire. At first we 
thought we could have the use of a little kitchen right 
across the road from us. But when we tried to take 
possession, the Chinese cooks told us that four or five 
families were using that already. Then we tried to get 
hold of some stoves and set them in the court or by the 
side of the road. But the cooks would perhaps object 
if it should rain. And when we proposed building 
some kind of covered range, the authorities in the Le- 
gation objected. It would not be right by the public 
to have anything too unsightly in the public boulevard. 
Must we then eat our food raw? But finally one of 
the escort, I think it was, gave up to our use his kitch- 
en, down by the gate house. A very small place it 
proved to be, and very far away; still it was a kitchen, 
and had a range in it, and we were happy. 

In the last three hours more has been done to for- 
tify the place and systematize things than in all the 
time before. Mr. Gamewell has been placed at the 
head of work on fortifications, and Mr. Tewksbury and 
Mr. Hobart and three others (Mr. T. head) on making 
committees for work on defenses, etc. The smoke of 
our home for the last two weeks — Hsiao Shun Hu 
T'ung — has been rising the last half day, the last Pro- 
testant mission. Now there is none in the city. — A. H. 

June 22 — The ladies in one of the more exposed 
houses (the two-story house in the stable court) had 
more than once to gather up bedding and their child- 



134 SIEGE DAYS 

ren and hurry out of the house, through the blinding 
smoke, and where the bullets were flying, until at last 
the building was so riddled with shells it was abandon- 
ed altogether. — Miss Janet McKillican. 

I keep on writing day after day, though there is 
no way of sending letters. We are quite cut off from 
the outside world; no communication by rail or tele- 
graph, nor for many days by a messenger. Today I 
have sewed steadily on sand bags for fortification, from 
breakfast till supper time, only stopping a few min- 
utes for dinner. There have been several excitements 
during the day. All the morning firing was heavy and 
incessant, bullets falling all abcfut us, so it was not safe 
for us to step outside the chapel. A little later Ger- 
man, French and Japanese troops came marching in, 
and word spread that all the other Legations had been 
abandoned and the troops were concentrating here. 
That was sad word for us, as it left the building where 
all our Chinese are gathered wholly unprotected. But 
it seemed to me that after the Lord had answered so 
many prayers for them, making it possible to keep 
them with us and bring them to a place of safety, he 
would not forsake them now. Only a little later a 
large number of troops were marched out again, and 
we learned that they were sent purposely to protect 
these buildings. The English minister says those build- 
ings will be protected to the very end, because it pro- 
tects this Legation on this side. So our dear people 
are in the safest place possible — ^thanks to God's loving 
care. Yesterday and today we h-ave not been allowed 
to go over to the other court, and I am a little home- 



SIEGE DAYS 135 

sick for our dear people, but it is good to know that 
they are safe. — Miss M. E. Andrews. 

During the first few days- of the siege, repeated at- 
tempts were made by the Chinese to burn our build- 
ings within the Legation, even setting fire to their own 
buildings near our wall to accomplish their end. For 
a while we were in greater danger from fires than from 
bullets. The general alarms were given from the bell 
tower in the center of the British legation and meant 
danger either from fire or from attack. 

How well I remember the fire of June 22, in which 
we all worked for our lives. That afternoon, amid the 
crack of rifles, we heard the rapid ringing of the alarm 
bell which called all the women and children to the 
little chapel and sent the men to their post of duty. 
Our hearts beat fast as we asked one another, ^^What 
is it this time?" We were not long in suspense; for 
soon all too plainly we saw the black smoke and 
angry flames roll upward so near us we could hear 
the crackle and see the burning cinders falling around 
us. It seemed as if no human power could save the 
buildings in the Legation. All planning for supper, 
sewing of sandbags and other work was at once sus- 
pended and all who could help ran to the scene of 
action. What a strange wild scene that was! Men 
and women, forgetting the whizzing bullets, formed a 
double line and passed water buckets to a small fire 
extinguisher that was turned upon the flames. People 
of many nationalities and many creeds worked shoul- 
der to shoulder that day. What mattered such small 
things as a difference of language or theology now? 



136 SIEGE DAYS 

Buckets were few, so basins, pitcliers, cooking utensils, 
everything that would hold water, from a quart cup to 
a child^s bath tub, were used. Blankets and quilts 
were soaked and spread over the roofs nearest the fire 
to keep them from catching. We had to use our pre- 
cious drinking water for all this, but the fire must be 
put out at all cost. As soon as the flames were under 
control, or rather when the fire had burned itself out 
so our buildings were out of danger, the men set to 
working burning and clearing away the Chinese build- 
ings near the wall on the outside, so that the same 
thing could not happen again in the game 
place. This was dangerous work for the men, 
for the Chinese hidden in the buildings around 
fired on them constantly. It was found that in 
their attempt to burn our buildings they had used 
many cases of kerosene to kindle the flame. We lifted 
our grateful hearts that night to the One who had de- 
livered us from so great a peril, and we mourned the 
loss of a brave English marine. After the excitment 
was over, they measured the water in the well and 
found there was three feet of water left, but in the 
morning there was five feet and it continued thus all 
through the siege. The kind Father supplied this need 
as He did so many others through that long hot sum- 
mer. — Miss Lizzie E. Martin. 

The cowards hope by starting their "holy fire" out- 
side it will not cease till the foreigner is burned. — Miss 
E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

This all showed that we must be prepared for such 



SIEGE DAYS 137 

emergencies. Much time and water had been lost by 
not having proper utensils. 

Warned by the experience, we had our Chinese car- 
penters fix handles on empty kerosene cans which would 
hold three or four gallons and could be easily passed 
from one to another without the spilling of the precious 
water. — Mrs. Chauncey Goodrich. 

.Spite of the double line that day, men on the one 
side to pass up all this array of utensils full of water, 
and women and children on the other to hand back the 
same to be refilled, it seemed as if it would be impos- 
sible to save the house in danger. So some were de- 
tailed to pull all the furniture out and pile it on the 
tennis court. So now every one was employed work- 
ing as for dear life. And still the flames gained upon 
us, for the wind was blowing from that direction. 
Could nothing more be done? Yes, something more 
potent than anything else. At this time there were 
a few women in the chapel who could not help in the 
fire. They could not leave their babies. But they 
could pray! And soon the wind changed, and blew 
the flames back on our enemies. The day was saved! 
So then tie men carried back the furniture into the 
house, while we women gathered up the books that 
were scattered about and piled them on the veranda. 
The danger was over for that time, and it was praying 
that had done the work. 

June 23. China is at war against the nations of the 
world ! Think of it ! Slowly but surely she is commit- 
ting suicide. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 



138 SIEGE DAYS 

None of US will ever forget tlie bummg of the Han- 
lin Library* on June 23. This famous building stood 
adjoining ours on the north. It was held so sacred that 
no foreigner had ever set foot inside, and herein was 
stored the great encyclopedia of which there were only 
two copies in the world. It had in it 366,992,000 char- 
acters against the 30,800,000 words of Encyclopedia 
Brittanica. This was their treasure house of litera- 
ture and had been left unmolested by our men because 
they did not wish to bring down on our heads more 
wrath than was necessary from the Chinese, yet so 
anxious were the enemy to burn us out that, choosing 
a time when there was a strong north wind,t they them- 
selves set this place on fire, and the smoke came down 
upon us till we could hardly breathe. Suddenly the 
wind changed and the smoke lifted — but "If it had not 
been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up 
against us, then had they swallowed us up quick when 
their wrath was kindled against us." Psa. 124:2, 3. 
The men worked all that day and all through that night 
guarding the flames and clearing out the buildings 
nearest us. We felt sorry for the men as they came 
in hungry and dirty and oh, so tired. It has 
been said on good authority that the burning of this 
library was as great a loss to the eastern world as the 



*It is the college from which the most learned men of this 
country take their highest degrees. There are in all China 
but three or four hundred of these scholars. — ^Mrs H. S. Gait. 

tThe morning of the day when the hall of the scholars was 
set on fire, one of the captains said, "If they fire that build- 
ing today, with this strong wind blowing in our direction, 
there is no hope for us." — ^Miss N. N. Russell. 



SIEGE DAYS 139 

burning of the Alexandrian library was to the western 
world so long ago. 

There were many fires not in the immediate vicinity 
of the British Legation. The Dutch Legation was com- 
pletely destroyed by fire. The buildings on the west 
side of the American Legation (which was still held as 
an outpost) were burned to its very wall, where the 
flames seemed to die away of themselves. Parts of other 
Legations were burned. 

Though surrounded by fire and sword, we knew that 
God was our "strength" and "deliverer/' and that He 
who guides the universe, and He who notes even the 
sparrow's fall, was watching over us. "God was our 
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." — 
Lizzie E. Martin. 

Its library contained books of incalculable value, 
books which the Chinese were and might be proud of — 
records of their empire from the earliest ages. That 
even fanaticism could go to such lengths as that, to 
destroy anything so precious, seems impossible. The 
books had been thrown out in a heap; a few of the 
most precious were gathered up by order of the English 
minister and brought over here. An immense pit was 
dug, and the rest of the books and papers tumbled in 
and covered over by our people to save adding fuel to 
the flames. Evidently kerosene had been put on the 
trees to spread the flames, and the fire started with the 
intention of setting fire to the rooms of the English 
minister, as the wind was blowing in that direction ; but 
at God's command, and in answer to prayer, it suddenly 
veered and blew the flames away from us; but for tKat 



140 SIEGE DAYS 

we should all have been burned out. — Miss M. E. An- 
drews. 

Our philosopher, in describing this event, got off an 
epigram not original with himself — "K'eng ju, fen 
shu.'^ Which little rhyme being intrepreted, means 
''Entrap the scholars in a pit and burn their books." 
This comes down from the time when old Ch'in Shih 
Huang, the builder of the great wall of China, that 
he might make good his coveted title to being the first 
emperor of China, destroyed, or attempted to, all rec- 
ords of past history. To do this, it was necessary not 
only to burn up all existing books, but to bury alive 
all the scholars whose memory could reproduce these 
books. In this case, however, the words of the epi- 
gram had to change partners — "Fen ju, k'eng shu.'^ 
This, with the liberal use of supplied words (italics) 
allowable in translating the classic style, would read, 
''If you try to burn the scholars, the result will he that 
your books will he put in a pit." 

Last night was a most fearful one, almost constant 
firing. The gentlemen came into the chapel and told 
us to keep down low on the floor to escape the spent 
bullets. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

Early this morning, our student who has the con- 
sumption, Li Chin Fang, went and got a letter for 
Tientsin which Sir Eobert Hart had written, sewed 
it into the lining of his shoe, and started off without 
letting any of his friends know it, fearing that we 
would prevent his going. It means almost certain 
death for him, for, even if he escapes the Boxers and 



SIEGE DAYS 141 

soldiers, lie cannot stand the fatigue and exposure of 
such a journe}^ He cares nothing for the reward; it 
is a giving up of his life to try to save the thousands 
here in the city whose lives depend on relief. — Miss 
Luella Miner. 

Today I saw Mrs. Conger, our minister's wife, out 
filling sandbags. A Greek priest was working with 
her, using a porcelain kettle. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

June 24. Of all the strange days of the siege, none 
could compare for me with the first Sabbath. It 
seemed unreal, both at the time, and in the memory 
of it afterwards, like a dream, or a piece let into my 
life from some one's else. 

Soon after breakfast word came that the Boxers had 
broken into the Su Wang Fu where our Christians were, 
and that a place must be made for our girls elsewhere, 
near the Eussian Legation. Thinking they were com- 
ing immediatel}^ I rushed off without my hat, as the 
sun was not shining brightly then. On arriving at the 
place where the girls were to be met, and finding they 
had not yet been brought over, I spent the time going 
into the deserted houses along the lane, to see which 
seemed most hopeful as a safe shelter. Hearing firing 
from the wall, it seemed safer on the side of the lane 
nearer the English Legation. So I went into place after 
place, examining each, and getting my eye incidentally 
on many ropes and shovels and awnings, which after- 
wards came in conveniently in countermining and for 
sand bags, though at the time my thoughts were on 
another matter, namely, what was the best place for my 



142 SIEGE DAYS 

twenty-five to thirty girls, a temporary home 'Vhen the 
blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the 
wall/' There really did not seem to be any best place. 
They were stores, mainly, made with movable shut- 
ters in front, so that when removed the buyer in pass- 
ing may stand on the lane and make his purchases from 
the counter. A door at the side admits to a narrow 
entry leading to reception rooms where more distin- 
guished customers may sit and sip tea and smoke, while 
making purchases. This narrow entry opens at the 
back into the tiny court around which are the rooms 
of the family, or for the apprentices, all quite small, 
of course. This was the general plan of all the shops 
on the lane. But what a picture of desolation they 
all were! They had evidently been deserted in hot 
haste, for all the means of living, as well as the stock 
of the store, were left behind. But everything wag 
tumbled around in wildest confusion, probably the 
work of looters. What seemed almost sadder than the 
wreck and ruin of the stock was the evidence of the 
deserted home; and most pathetic of all, the living 
creatures of the home, deserted in the flight, things 
barking or mewing as one opened the door. Almost 
too hoarse or too faint they were sometimes to bark 
or mew any more, but a faint voice of appeal or protest 
might be heard from behind some pile of rubbish. It 
was a sad comment on a religion more careful to avoid 
taking life than to prevent suffering. The thought, 
too, would arise: '^Are our lives less valuable than 
those of dogs and cats, that they are willing to kill 
us?" But there was no time then to provide for the 



SIEGE DAYS 143 

release from suffering of these poor beasties ; the ques- 
tion was, where these precious human lives might be 
saved. 

Finally a hat store was picked out as having several 
rooms in the rear, and also as furnishing something 
in the way of food. For now, in this strange day of 
living other people's lives, it was not Fox's Book of 
Martyrs, as it had been when I first started out to find 
a place of safety for my poor, hunted girls. The 
thought that they would come over in a hungry con- 
dition was uppermost. We were to be Eobinson Cru- 
soes and find a living out of what could be discovered. 
Then, having picked out my desert island, the next 
thing to do was to bring its inhabitants to it. And 
even then, as I went out of the shop, the whole host 
of Christians was being marshalled across the canal. 
As the school girls were all together, it was an easy 
thing to separate out my particular flock. It was a 
strange, sad meeting, after the days of separation, but 
there was no time then for more than the nod of 
greeting that meant, "So you are still alive, thank 
God !" 

It was just about the time when usually they were 
marshalled into church ; but what a difference ! Up 
the lane, almost filled with the debris of broken boxes 
and furniture from the looted shops, they picked their 
way as quickly as possible, so as to get out of the 
way of the soldiers who were passing back and forth, 
for an attack was on just around the corner. The 
zipping bullets overhead, too, made one hasten one's 
Bteps to get behind walls. Once get behind them. 



144 SIEGE DAYS 

however, and the next thing was to think of the more 
peaceful means of preserving life — how to get hreak- 
fast. Robinson Crusoe mnst be resumed again, or 
was it the house-mother in "The Swiss Family Rob- 
inson" ? But whether Robinson Crusoe himself or Mrs. 
Robinson, neither could have found much use in the 
heaps of mandarin hats in which the girls entering 
the shop must wade knee deep, hats shaped like a cup 
inverted in a deep saucer, the saucer being formed of 
a wide band of fur, while the cup, all gorgeous with 
gold and scarlet, was surmounted by a mandarin's 
button. The girls looked as if they were trampling 
the crowns of the world under foot as they moved 
about in these, trying to make a place for themselves. 
They were left with instructions not to wantonly de- 
stroy. Others found a place in the family rooms at 
the back, rooms strewed with cast-off clothing. But, 
as the girls were hungry, the first thing was to seek 
the kitchen. Range, kettles, coal-balls, water, flour, 
all were there. The next thing was to start the fire. 
And the next was to step across the little court to the 
hat shop again, and make a little modification in the 
precept just laid down — not to destroy— to explain 
the morals of the term "contraband of war," and get 
them to hunt up small wooden boxes among the rub- 
bish, and split them for kindling. While the school 
woman was making a spark with her flint and steel, 
and the girls were stirring up the flour and water for 
their pancakes, a sound was heard above all the crack- 
ing of rifles — ^the tolling of the bell in the English 
Legation — ^the signal of attack ; and in almost direct 



SIEGE DAYS 145 

.connection with this the quick ringing of the same 
hell — fire^ Then we noticed what we had not thought 
of before, how close the rifle fire was to us, and the 
great columns of smoke that were rising nearer still. 
I must leave the role of Mrs. Swiss Eobinson to the old 
school matron, and go on sentry duty. No; just one 
return to Eobinson Crusoe before I took my post. I 
must have a hat to screen me from sun and fire. Those 
heavy winter hats were impossible; but the bottom of 
a bird-cage, a flat, round piece of bamboo lattice work, 
furnished a frame over which was hung a piece of 
wet white cloth, and the whole was tied into place by 
a bit of hair-string, for hair-string was a part of the 
stock-in-trade of the shop. After being thus accoutered 
I first went to the door opening on the alley, a door 
which after we had all got in I had carefully bolted, 
only opening it once to put on our door-plate, that is, 
to write an inscription on the white border around 
the gate-gods pasted on the gate. There was not room 
for much, but I managed to crowd in the words, 
"Congregational Girls' School, America" — a rather 
incongruous label, surely, to the black-faced deity below. 
This label was so that we could be found in case of 
danger. 

Now, opening this same door a crack, I saw a sight 
that made me shut it quickly — a wounded soldier, a 
Russian, I should judge, being borne past. And now 
that tolling bell assumed a new significance. Could 
it be that perhaps the Chinese had made a breach in 
the walls of the English Legation, and perhaps even 
now my dear friends over there might have that same 



146 SIEGE DAYS 

death agony on their faces? Should I ever see them 
again? As I went into an adjoining court at the back 
to investigate the fire, it seemed as if my own past 
life was as unreal and free from all connection with 
the present as that of any imaginary person might be. 
No, all these had vanished like a dream, too, and one 
felt only that one was in the hands of God, and thus 
safe, whatever man might do. This was no desert 
island now; it was the Valley of the Shadow of Death, 
and how true it was that His rod and His staff they com- 
forted me. But though willing to die myself, my 
thirty defenseless lambs must not fall into the hands 
of those wolves, if human watchfulness could prevent 
it. The flames were drawing nearer. It was fiercely 
hot. The smoke dimmed the sun and almost stifled 
us. The roaring of the flames grew louder. It seemed 
only a question of time how soon they would leap into 
our court. It would not do to wait till then. The 
passage down to the outer door was very low and nar- 
row, not a place for sudden escape. So when the 
danger from fire behind seemed greater than that 
of bullets down the lane, I went and told the girls 
to gather up whatever there was to eat around 
the place. A hurried division was made of the cakes 
already baked, and, taking the unbaked batter in the 
kneading trough, like the Israelites in their journey on 
Passover night, we marched out again, down the alley, 
to join the other Christians in their already crowded 
courts. I had to acknowledge that like Lot of old, while 
trying to pick out the best place, I had unwittingly 
picked out the very worst, the place that rained fire and 



SIEGE DAYS 147 

brimstone. How strange it seemed to see other for- 
eign faces among the natives, when I had thought that 
perhaps we should never see them again ! And stranger 
still, to have one of my colleagues come over by and by 
and say : "I will stay with the girls now. You go to the 
English Legation to your dinner." Dinner It was like the 
waking from a dream ! Somehow this return to reality 
seemed the most unreal of all. It was like the turning 
of the head on the pillow, and all those horrible things 
that seemed so real have vanished and behold, it was a 
dream. And yet even after ^^coming to" there was an- 
other strange thing after all, and that was to walk the 
whole length of the British Legation with one's head in 
a shrouded bird-cage ! 

After dinner I went back. By that time the enemy 
had been driven out of Prince Su's palace, and that 
place was really considered safer, so the Christians were 
being mustered back. A hole had been made in the 
wall between two courts, and they were going down that 
way to cross the canal, instead of going along the canal 
first, exposed to bullets. These two courts were not the 
same height, and one must step over heaps of broken 
brick, bend one's head to get through the hole, and then 
go down an inclined plane of loose brick-bats into a 
room that seemed quite dark as one entered from the 
brightness outside. What wonder that those poor women, 
some of them having children in their arms, others hav- 
ing little feet, needed help ? So two or three of us sta- 
tioned ourselves at the stumbling places and helped 
them down. Never in a single day, perhaps, did any 
of us take so many people by the hand — over a thousand 



148 SIEGE DAYS 

women and children. We let the men shift for them- 
selves, in accord with rules of Chinese etiquette; not 
because Chinamen are averse to getting women to use 
strength for them, but because it would be impossible 
to help them without touching their hands. But as the old 
sage Mencius, on being questioned, made an exception 
of the hypothetical case of a man whose sister-in-law 
had fallen into a well, saying it would be more of a sin 
to let her drown than to touch her hand in pulling her 
out, so we made an exception of the case of a pious 
^neas, who had his old father (or was it a mother) on 
his back. They said the parent was lame (or blind, I 
forget which) and that he had rescued him (or her) in 
this way from the burning of their homes. We could 
easily tell which were the Catholics, at least in many 
cases, by their training, after being helped down, to 
drop us a courtesy and say "Merci." So we saw how our 
Catholic friends got around the difficulty of there being 
no word in Chinese that exactly corresponds with our 
"Thank you" for a service rendered. 

Well, we stood there and passed them down till the 
procession ceased filing through the hole. 

Query: After the President of the United States 
has had a reception, does he sigh for a wash-bowl ? But 
then, come to think of it, those whom he shakes hands 
with have had chances at wash-bowls, as these poor 
Chinese refugees had not. — A. H. 

In removing things from a building near the fire 
that day, preparatory to tearing down the building, 200 
cases of kerosene were discovered. WTiat if they had 




MISS JANE G. EVANS. 



SIEGE DAYS 149 

caught fire ! They were promptly removed to the mid- 
dle of the tennis court, and a hill of earth covered over 
them. So now we have an oil-hill to match the Impe- 
rial "Coal Hill" north of the palace. 

June 25 — About midnight they attacked us from two 
directions, and tried jto start a fire in a third, but in the 
midst of it all we were saved. So far the Lord has deliv- 
ered us. Surely He does intend to bring us out and 
thereby glorify His name. It is a privilege to go through 
it. We are especially favored of the Almighty, else why 
does He save us? And even if He wants us to die for 
Him here, it is also a privilege to have partaken of His 
own suffering, and lay down our small lives to glorify 
Him. There is no way we can look at it but what it is 
right, and His own doing. 

This morning I was sitting within three or four feet 
of a lady when a bullet came through the window glass 
directly back of her shoulder, and passed within a few 
inches of her cheek. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

It is perfectly remarkable how so many shots can 
miss the mark. Horse flesh was used as food for the 
first time today. All foolish notions were laid aside 
and the food eaten. — Miss E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

About 5 p. m. a white flag was seen on the bridge 
above us. We dared not trust them, but with a glass 
could read that by Imperial edict the troops were or- 
dered not to fire on the foreign ministers. They also 
wish us to come to the bridge to treat. After all their 
treachery it is strange they should try this dodge. Ex- 
tra precautions are being taken tonight. — Miss J. G, 
Evans. 



150 SIEGE DAYS 

Mr. Tewksbury and some of the British students talk 
with Chinese soldiers in the Han Lin College during 
the time of truce. They say they have killed all the 
Boxers and will now fire on us no more. Meanwhile, 
with Chinese treachery, other soldiers creep up to build 
an entrenchment very near us on the west, but the Brit- 
ish fire upon them and force a discontinuance. Major 
Conger remarked that in any civilized country it would 
be possible for us to surrender and so save our lives, 
but to surrender here meant certain death; there was 
nothing to do but to try to hold out. — ^Mrs. Ed. Lowry. 

June 26 — Oh, such a night as we had! About 12 
it seemed as though the powers of darkness were against 
us — it seemed as though the end were near. Abbie and 
I crept close together down on the floor, hoping to meet 
death together. How we all prayed! It was all we 
could do. The gentlemen who had guns and pistols 
could help. It was a fearful experience. We dared not 
have a light to attract the enemy; but in the darkness 
on the floor we waited for what at one time seemed 
would be the end. How the bullets whistled past the 
open windows I 

I had my first sight tonight of what a battle field is 
like. I went over to the north wall while there was a 
cessation of firing, and the guard let us come up and 
look through the loop holes. I never realized so clearly 
before how war looked — desolation — seven dead bodies 
(Boxers and soldiers) and several dead horses — nothing 
seen alive but one dog — everything so still — no one to 
be seen — homes deserted — ^it was fearful. These bodies 
lying unburied fn the month of June, will not pestilence 



SIEGE DAYS 151 

come next ? We know very little what condition the city 
is in, but know our guns have done some execution. — Miss 
J. G. Evans. 

A rather quiet day. American marines hold their 
position on the city wall against great odds. Twenty 
Americans against 1,500 Chinese. — Miss E. E. Leon- 
ard, M. D. 

LIFE IN THE CHAPEL. 

Our quarters proved cramped enough. We ate at 
first sitting on our bedding or on the altar steps, al- 
though eventually we secured some tables and chairs. 
Just outside, noisy sewing-machines were busy all day 
long making sand-bags, and within, the five babies, tor- 
tured by heat-rash, mosquitoes and the thousands of 
flies, cried almost constantly. 

Yet we felt ashamed to complain of our discomfort 
as often as we looked across at the pavilion just east of 
us. It had a fine tile roof with a brick floor, but no 
sides. Here we could see French and Italian priests, 
usually in Chinese dress, and the Greek priests with 
their long black robes and hair flowing on their shoul- 
ders. In the center of the pavilion French, Italians and 
Belgians, men, women and children, ate, drank and 
slept. Often at night bullets dropped among them, and 
the rain poured in and drenched them, but they never 
murmured or complained. Just behind them was a 
pavilion closed on only two sides, and this was where 
members of the press, the bank, and others lived ; while 
outside, about the edges, Chinese servants — men and 
women — slept at night. — Mrs. C. Goodrich. 



152 SIEGE DAYS 

Beds of all kinds and descriptions have been made np 
on floors or benches, with mosquito netting made of all 
conceivable material. The beautiful little English 
chapel has been nearly ruined, turned into one grand 
living room. I could think of nothing but the immi- 
grants landing at Castle Garden as I looked about from 
time to time. Men, women and children lying in all 
kinds of places on the floor, nearly all dressed, gave us 
indeed a title to be called "refugees." Many had no 
pillows, or sheets, mattresses, or even a blanket. It 
was a time when he who had shared with the one who 
had not. If one had two waists or handkerchiefs, one 
went to his neighbor who had none, so in spite of lack- 
ing many things which we had thought positively neces- 
sary, we yet made ourselves comfortable. But with the 
dirt and confusion caused by seventy people, the flies, 
mosquitoes, heat and dampness incident on the warm 
weather, and increased by all our unsanitary conditions, 
surrounded by thousands of Chinese, many of them in 
our own compound, it is only a miracle that there was 
not more sickness, and that we survived at all. Almost 
every one has become pale and thin, and we are a worn 
and draggled-out looking set.— Mrs. Tewksbury. 

The distribution of the different families and indi- 
viduals who occupied the chapel at night is something 
not to be forgotten. On the left hand of the front en- 
trance a Presbyterian Doctor of Divinity had his bed 
on the floor. Then came the "Methodist bed." At 
'right angles to this a Presbyterian pastor and wife slept 
on the floor, the bed being rolled up in the day time. 
Next an American Board mother and two children had 



SIEGE DAYS 153 

a bed made by two chapel seats put together. Within 
the altar rail on one side was another American Board 
mother with two children, and on the other side a Pres- 
byterian mother and two children. The pulpit was 
pushed back and served as our china closet, being piled 
up with our supply of dishes. Another family of mother 
and three children camped at night somewhere near the 
middle of the chapel floor, and near them, two more 
chapel seats served as a bed for a Methodist brother. 
There was a deep bay window on the right hand side 
of the chapel. Two families of three members each 
lived on either side of the baptismal font, which was 
in the window, and the font itself was decorated with 
books, bottles, and toilet articles of various kinds. 
There were two or three whose resting (?) place at 
night could not be accounted for, as their beds were 
dnvisible during the day. In the farther end of the 
joom near the door a baby slept on a little couch in the 
corner, while his mother slept on the floor. One night 
the mother got up to attend to the baby, but becoming 
confused in the darkness she found herself patting the 
head of a gray-haired man and singing a lullaby to 
him.— Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

We have two settees placed together under a large 
west window just in front of the pulpit. I have three 
chairs at one end, where Ellen sleeps, and Marion and 
I lie on the single mattress with our heads at opposite 
ends. We generally have to untangle our feet several 
times during the night. As we eat in the same place, 
seated on our bed, and have to get through in time for 



154 SIEGE DAYS 

the next table to use the dishes, I can't be late, even 
though that means breaJifasting with untidy hair. To 
such a pass have we come that we wonder whether we 
will ever recover from the demoralization or not. Gen- 
tlemen and ladies all have to sleep in this room without 
even curtain partitions. Most do not undress at all, 
except to pull off their shoes. The gentlemen must all 
be ready to go on duty in case of sudden attack. 

The flies are something terrible in numbers. The 
room literally swarms with them, and all possible means 
cannot keep them out of our food. Because of feeding 
on so many carcasses they drop dead all around, and it is 
a marvel that this does not cause disease among us. 
They wake us all at the first streak of dawn; and it 
is amusing to hear the sudden buzzing that starts up 
in the night when the cannon commences to boom. — Mrs. 
C. E. Ewing. 

On the platform at the rear of the church was the 
altar, which was kept piled with dishes. By this altar in 
one corner I spread bedding for myself and two little 
boys. On 'the first day of the siege a few of our men 
with their guns, my husband among them, went back to 
the Methodist compound and secured some bedding, 
stores and clothing. There was danger in this, but 
stores were a necessity, and his return was a relief to 
my mind. So I had more clothing and bedding than 
some, but only one good sheet, and I used to think how 
good nice pillows and sheets would seem. I had great 
reason to be thankful, but it was in that corner that 
Bome of the most trying hours were passed. Often the 



SIEGE DAYS 155 

night attacks would not cease till the small hours of 
the morning. Then when all was quiet and there 
would be an opportunity to sleep, the flies would begin 
waking the children and making them so cross that they 
disturbed the poor people who had been kept awake. 
This seemed to me the most trying hour of the day, and 
I often longed for some quiet place where I could take 
the children alone. After a time the eldest child went up 
in the loft to sleep with his father. Then an old lace cur- 
tain was found which, when mended and put with other 
different pieces of thin material, served to keep off the 
flies. But it was an imperfect protection from mos- 
quitoes and flesCs, for at night little Ernest would com- 
plain of bites. Then would follow frantic but unsuc- 
cessful efforts to find the bitten places, that he might be 
eoothed and hushed. This to me was more trying than 
the racket of firearms, although there were a few times 
when thoughts would come of how it would be if the 
enemy should actually get in. I well remember the 
tolling of the bell, which meant that the attack was 
more serious, and was the signal for our men to go to 
the bell tower with their guns and await orders. It 
sounded very mournful in those circumstances. I re- 
member, too, Mr. Tewksbury's calm, steady voice assur- 
ing us that the attack was over and all was well. As 
the summer advanced the nights were hot, and there 
being no window near my corner, my bed was raised 
from the floor. Then a pole or rod was needed to keep 
my lace curtain fly-net in position, so the Chinaman who 
was helping me brought a Chinese spear. But I could 
not think of having that at the head of my bed — it was 



156 SIEGE DAYS 

too suggestive — and something less warlike was found. — 
Mrs. F. M. Chapin. 

''The Methodist Bed." 

We had packed our goods on the fourth of June, hop- 
ing to leave Peking the fifth for the station just as- 
signed us, namely Tsun Hua, one hundred miles east 
of Peking, but the railroad being destroyed, we had been 
shut in for days, and now my husband hurriedly broke 
open the box and pulled out his country mattress. We 
had already helped ourselves to some of Brother King's 
bedding, on which we had slept for a week on the 
church floor. When the summons came to us, we, with 
our dear boy Lin Ming Chuan and his wife, Mei Jui, 
and two servants, joined the strange procession going 
down Filial Piety alley across "Ha Ta'' great street, 
west on Legation street, or '*^Chiao Min Hsiang,'' on, 
on to our United States legation, a great company of 
us, numbering about 700. 

You may be able to imagine how that sad, strange 
company looked as we marched on foot through heat 
and dust to the United States Legation, but you can 
never know how we felt ; words cannot express it. 

Arriving at the British Legation, we seventy mission- 
aries were given the little British chapel, 25x45, to shel- 
ter us from shot and shell, sun and rain, to be our only 
home for nine weeks. Well, on entering the church we 
began to look around for some vacant spot on which to 
rest. I dropped into the first corner to the left on 
entering, and that became the Methodist Corner, and 
there was the "Methodist Bed." 



SIEGE DAYS 157 

That bed was of wonderful make, two church benches 
turned together, and short boards of all thicknesses 
placed from one to the other to make it wide enough for 
daughter Esther and myself, while husband slept on 
the floor in the corner. !N'ow this Methodist bed, as I 
said before, was a wonderful bed. The benches and 
boards, to be sure, were not very even, but nevertheless 
better than the floor on account of fleas, mice, lizards, 
etc. It was the only Methodist encampment in the 
church, as the other Methodist sisters slept in Lady 
MacDonald's ball room, while the brethren slept in the 
back hall of the same house. 

The space under these benches (otherwise called the 
Methodist bed), served as cupboard or storeroom, and 
it was wonderful what could be stored away there, soap, 
cord for tying sand bags, parts of a telephone, a gun, the 
key of City Gate, stationery, shoes, overshoes, umbrellas, 
valises, bundles of clothing, books, souvenirs, etc., and 
under the mattress many things could be found. As all 
things were used in common, we had to put away care- 
fully the few treasures we had been able to save, and 
the Methodist bed proved to be very useful in this ca- 
pacity. Dr. Emma Martin and her sister Lizzie would 
come in with that wonderful black bag belonging to the 
Doctor, and say, "May I put this under your mattress 
for safe keeping?" Mrs. Gamewell's umbrella and 
journal sought refuge here, and Mrs. Jewell, Dr. Gloss 
and Miss Gilman often tucked little bundles under and 
Miss Terrell had a magic bag which often hung on the 
corner of the bench (the foot of my bed). Mrs. Con- 
ger's shears, wliich we borrowed to cut out sand bags, 



158 SIEGE DAYS 

were also hidden away here for safe keeping; also the 
revolvers and cartridges belonging to Messrs. Davis, 
Walker and King; they helped to make my pillow 
higher, yon see. Mr. Hobart had to use much paper in 
making meal tickets for the native Christians, and as 
the Bell Tower was headquarters, the paper was hidden 
away nnder my mattress so we would know where to 
find it when needed. We did not fear losing our money, 
for we had none, but we had a few precious things we 
had saved. On the top of my bed could be seen a few 
Bibles and one or two hymn books rescued from the 
hands of the Boxers. 

Our dear brothers had saved a few garments, and the 
dear brave school girls vied with each other in doing 
good and helping wherever they could. They washed 
and mended socks, underwear and the summer clothes 
of the men who were working to save them from a hor- 
rible death, and even made shoes for those of us who 
were out. So, as occasion demanded, the brethren, 
Messrs. Davis, King, Hobart and Verity, would come 
and lift up the corners of the mattress and find their 
well worn mended garments tucked away there for safe 
keeping. N'ow you can see that I had a wonderful bed. 

Being near the door, the bed was a convenient wait- 
ing place, until time to serve the "Horse and Mule" 
meat and rice, and often coming in I would find three 
or four of the dear sisters lying or sitting on the bed, 
and they would give me a cordial invitation to sit on 
my bed when there was not even a small corner vacant. 
Many will remember it as the cozy corner. The weary, 
anxious and sick brethren would come into the church 




GERTRUDE OILMAN. 





CHARLOTTE M. JEWELL. 



MISS ANNA D. GLOSS, M. D. 



SIEGE DAYS 159 

longing for a place where they might rest just for a 
few minutes, because their sleeping place was the back 
hall of Ladj MacDonald's home, where servants and 
others were constantly passing; besides that the torment 
of flies, fleas and mosquitoes made rest almost impos- 
sible, either by day or night. Sometimes on account of 
fierce firing of the enemy no one could sleep, not even 
the babies. During the daytime, in the short intervals 
of less firing, the brethren would slip in and drop down 
on the Methodist bed and pull down the mosquito net, 
or perhaps Esther would stand by with a fan in hand to 
guard them from the attack of flies (of which we had 
millions). Thus they would get a little sleep and rest. 
The Methodist corner was a noisy one, not on account 
of shouting Methodists, but because of the buzzing of 
two sewing machines running full speed making sand 
bags, as well as the confusion of so many coming and 
going all the time. Then there were nine meals a day 
to be served in the chapel. Oh, you cannot imagine the 
awful confusion and noise ! Sometimes the five little 
sick babies were all crying at once. 

But I cannot describe to you, dear readers, the days 
that I was too sick to leave the church or this bed. By 
day and by night I would say, ^^Oh! how long can I 
endure this and keep my right mind?" I was so 
thankful to Dr. Anna Gloss for a pillow. Miss Terrell 
for a mosquito net, Mrs. Inglis for another pillov/, that 
I might be more comfortable. I had given Mr. King's 
sheet to make sand bags. That bed as you see was made 
up of borrowed things; I only owned the cotton mat- 
tress. 



160 SIEGE DAYS 

Only God knows of the cries and tears, the innumera- 
ble prayers that went up from that Methodist bed to 
the Throne of Grace for help in our time of need. Oh ! 
When the fierce firing would waken us, so that even the 
little ones could not sleep, my brave little daughter 
Esther would touch me, thinking perhaps I was asleep, 
and say, "Mamma, are you praying?" "Yes, darling," 
I would reply. "Mamma, Jesus has kept us too long to 
let us be killed now," and so we would fold our arms 
around each other, and again and again give ourselves 
into the keeping of Him "who never slumbers nor 
sleeps" and who had promised to "keep that which we 
had committed unto Him against that day," who had 
promised to help "in every time of need." I cannot 
tell 3^ou of the agonizing prayer sent up from that bed 
during the awful eight weeks of siege in the British 
Legation, neither can I tell you of the heart full of 
thankfulness, too full for utterance, of the glory in 
my soul for such a wonderful Saviour, who finally de- 
livered us. — Mrs. r. M. Walker. 

Housecleaning. 

We Congregationalists have charge of cleaning the 
chapel every third day, and the Presbyterians and Meth- 
odists attend to it the other days. We also have the 
care of the bathroom and the court around the chapel. 
There are so many more of us that of course it is fair 
for us to do more of the cleaning. There are four Chi- 
nese to do the hard work, but with all the picking up 
and rearranging it makes the ladies very busy, too. 
We beat the cushions and do the wiping of tables. Most 



SIEGE DAYS 161 

of the carpet has been ta.ken up and put in the loft, but 
the church cushions have to be used as table seats for 
the children, and fill up the depressions in the settees 
so that our beds will be even. These cushions must be 
beaten, all the settees and everyone's baggage moved, and 
the floor all swept and mopped each day. There is not 
much chance for quiet. 

Breakfast lasts from 6 to 9, followed by prayers, then 
&n hour for the cleaning, and dinner from half-past 
eleven to half-past two. Supper begins at 4 and keeps 
up until 7, and then people begin to retire. We are not 
allowed lights in the evening, except a candle for a short 
time, as the enemy could easily locate us; and as we 
must rise so early, we try to get to bed early. — Mrs. C. 
E. Ewing. 

Bathroom. 

The bathroom, the only room where all these ladies 
could dress, was a curiosity of ingenuity. It was a 
little room once used for witnessing marriage contracts, 
now put to such uses. It was wonderful how many lit- 
tle conveniences could be extemporized or gathered for 
public use from some unknown quarter. 

Here, for instance, were k-ept the dustpan and other 
implements used by the cleaning committee, and on the 
wall hung a notice sternly warning ladies not to bor- 
row that dustpan and forget to return it, on penalty of 
being docked their next allowance of pony. But all the 
other appointments of the room were appliances of the 
toilet. 

A sheet over piles of flat-topped trunks constituted 



162 SIEGE DAYS 

the toilet table and wash-stand. On the former were 
numerous bowls, soap, kerosene, tins of water, etc. On 
the latter, mirrors, pins, hairpins, etc., "just like folks," 
as the children say. A sheet was hung across the mid- 
dle, behind which one could take a sponge bath, and 
even a bag on the door for soiled clothing was not lack- 
ing. In fact, all that was needed was to multiply its 
accommodations several times over. But since we could 
not multiply the numerator, we divided the denom- 
inator, and went in in sections. 

The Church Porch. 

Would we had a Herbert to sing it! For in this 
porch we not only waited our chance to dress or to 
eat, but here many a quiet half hour was spent in the 
first sweetness of the morning, before the duties of the 
day could begin. This period between the weariness of 
the night and the weariness of the day seemed all made 
of rest. Half the people in the chapel were asleep, and 
Ibetter still, the enemy had gone to sleep. As some one 
aptly quoted, "'Silence, like a poultice, came to heal the 
wounds of sound." But still better than this negative 
rest, was the positive rest and refreshment provided. 
Many articles of necessity are lying on the ledges inside 
the lattice of the porch, a hammer, a box of needles, a 
bottle of copying ink, a fountain pen filler, etc., pro- 
vided for the use of those who have lost their all. But 
on such -occasions the precious thing is the Biblfe lying 
there. In lifting it, it falls open by habit to the book 
of Psalms, of course. Well, so be it. "God is our 
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." 



SIEGE DAYS 163 

''the axe is laid at the root of the tree/' 

We had been in the siege less than two full days when 
a fire was started just outside of the Legation to the 
west. 

No one will ever forget that fire and the fire brigade 
composed of men, women and children who passed the 
water from the well up to those fighting the flames. 
The next day, Saturday, near noon, the bell in the bell 
tower again rang out an alarm of fire, which proved to 
be the burning of the famous Han Lin Library, directly 
north of us, some of the large halls being close to Sir 
Claude MacDonald's establishment. 

Nothing so proved to us the dire madness of the Chi- 
nese as this willingness to sacrifice, for the sake of de- 
stroying the foreigners, this library containing copies of 
all China's most modern and ancient classics, and the 
annals of their national life. 

With what blank dismay everyone turned his face 
toward those raging fires! The wind was high, blow- 
ing the flames right toward us, while Chinese soldiers 
in the third row of buildings were keeping up a steady 
rifle fire, hoping thus to prevent our putting out the 
fire. 

No time during the siege do I remember seeing our 
men carry such white, hopeless faces as during the 
hours of that fire. They would not talk, they would not 
look us in the eye, but their jaws were all set with that 
dogged determination to fight — fight to the last. It 
seemed so hopeless as they passed up buckets of water 
or tore down buildings, for the flames gained upon them 
in spite of every effort. 



164. SIEGE DAYS 

Because of the rifle fire we ladies were not allowed to 
help pass back to the well (for refilling) the empty buck- 
ets, bath tubs, pitchers, basins, etc., as the day before. 
Whenever anyone came from the fire and we asked 
how matters were going, there was only a shake of the 
head, while with downcast eyes the man passed on. We 
women could do nothing. Nothing? Yes, we could 
pray. It was only silent prayer, however, for the feel- 
ing was too intense to make it seem wise to speak out 
loud our prayers. The general work must go on — the 
children must be diverted, and the sand bags we had 
Just begun to make must be sewed. I glanced across to 
the open pavilion, not thirty feet away, where about 
twenty Chinese women preparing for the Catholic sis- 
terhood had their only home that long summer. They 
were all on their knees with their faces in the direction 
of the fire. Kosaries were in their hands and their lips 
were moving. Suddenly ^^the wind that bloweth where 
it listeth" (did it that day?) changed, and the great 
broad sheets of flame coming nearer and nearer turned 
to the northwest. 

The British marines made a breach in the wall, driv- 
ing the Chinese soldiers from their position. The great 
fires went on burning, but no longer seriously menaced 
us. An attempt was made to rescue some of the price- 
less books — notably the many cases containing Yung 
Le Ta Tien, a cyclopedia of Chinese literature, hoping 
for the day when the madness of China should have 
passed by. About 4 o'clock another fire broke out. The 
indefatigable Miss Smith, of the London Mission, seized 
my arm, saying : ^^Come, many of our missionaries are 



SIEGE DAYS 165 

engaged on the fortifications elsewhere, and cannot 
leave. Let us go to the fire. Perhaps we can act as 
interpreters between the Chinese Christians and those 
who would direct them, and thus help to put out the 
fire.^' We passed back of the British minister's servant 
quarters, through the breach in the wall, into the very 
court of the Han Lin. There a great tree, thought to be 
about one hundred and fiity years old, was on fire, a 
huge branch hanging over the only building save one 
not being devoured by flames. Within this building 
were several large stone tablets upon which were carved 
the famous sayings of a sage, and countless stereotyped 
blocks. These blocks were of teak, every character being 
exquisitely carved, and represented what was now left 
of China's library. 

One could see at a glance that if this hall caught fire 
nothing would save Sir Claude's buildings, so it was 
determined to cut down the tree, and at the same time 
throw these priceless blocks upon the flames in the ad- 
joining court. We could only view them now as inflam- 
mable material to be gotten rid of. It was here we 
ladies found ourselves useful in directing the bringing 
of ropes to drag the tree in its fall from the building 
rather than toward it. An axe, too, must be brought 
for the cutting. And then happened what to me seemed 
one of the most impressive and prophetic sights of all 
the siege, every day crowded though it was with thrill- 
ing and varied experiences. 

The roar of the flames burning the treasures China 
has always valued highest was sounding in our ears — 
the heat of the flames making a furnace of that hot 



166 SIEGE DAYS 

June day, now drawing to its close, and there as the axe 
was laid at the root of this long-lived tree, were repre- 
sentatives of the three great Christian religions taking 
turns at the axe. 

How it happened no one knows, but there was the 
Russian priest in his long black robe, the representa- 
tive of the Greek church, mother church of us all; the 
French priest in his Chinese garment, the representa- 
tive of the Roman Catholic church; the American mis- 
sionary, representative of Protestantism and the New 
World. 

As I stood there it seemed as if in the falling of that 
tree I watched the downfall of Confucianism, not the 
downfall of any truth Confucius ever uttered, not the 
downfall of any valued principle inwrought into the life 
of the Chinese people, but the downfall of a tree whose 
roots went down deep in the life of the nation, but 
whose branches were shutting out light and health. 

Did the Greek, Catholic and Protestant churches ever 
work together so well? Will they ever work together 
again? Have they not each some part to do in China? 

While I heard ^^the raging of the heathen'^ in the 
roar of the flames at the north, the cracking of the 
rifles at the east, the shrapnel fire at the west, I heard 
as in a dream the Hallelujah chorus, too, and I saw 
China, mad China, at last the Kingdom of our Lord 
and of His Christ. — Sarah B. (Mrs. Chauncey) Good- 
rich. 



SIEGE DAYS ' 167 

OUR WORKERS. 

Just at the very first there was talk among some of 
preparing an inscription on brass or stone, to be buried 
and left as a memorial, with the thought that when 
the troops came up to search for us, and did not find 
us, they might possibly think to dig among the ruins for 
some such record. But that plan was never carried into 
execution. There was always a ray of hope, and it always 
shone upon something that could yet be done in this 
struggle for life — and struggle for the life of others. 
There was no time for the records of finished lives. The 
thing was to provide for the defense. In the organiza- 
tion for this and other work, came in the wonderful 
place in the history which was played by the semi- 
Biege. 

Some who have heard us describe the semi-siege, with 
its wonderful fortifications, its perfect organization of 
committees, its practice in self-control and in control 
of the Chinese, have said, "Why use up so much time 
talking of the semi-siege? Why not strike at once for 
the things that bear directly on your preservation?" 
If man, not God, had been planning the siege there 
would have been no semi-siege, and consequently no 
fortification, no organization, no practice, and hence — 
no preservation. When we went into the siege the only 
attempt at fortification was a little barricade at each 
end of Legation street, but the Legations themselves 
were quite undefended. Those from the Legations who 
came to see our church fortress might perhaps have 
entertained the same feelings with regard to the neces- 
sity of it that Noah's neighbors might have done with 



168 SIEGE DAYS 

regard to his cranky style of architecture — but no one 
could deny that it was well done. 

So when we got into the siege, and found that no pro- 
vision had been made for anything of the kind, it was 
natural that they should recall these perfect arrange- 
ments. It was but natural that inquiry should be made 
for Mr. Gamewell, the engineer of the chapel fort, and 
all other committees were asked to serve as heads of 
international committees. At that time, when our pres- 
ervation depended on instant action, had we been cum- 
bered with deference to international comity, there 
would have been no international committees. There 
would have been the slowness to recognize the gravity of 
the situation and the unwillingness to trust the Chi- 
nese converts that prevailed before the outbreak, the 
same hesitation that characterized the sending up of the 
marines and the relieving armies, the bombarding of 
the palace and the expedition to Paotingfu. Perhaps 
the Empress might have been counting on this very dila- 
toriness when she delayed her flight. Those at work on 
the mines so nearly completed at the time of our relief 
might also have been counting on the same. But this 
is anticipating. Let us return to the accounts of 
specific work. 

The first day or two of the siege everything was in 
more or less confusion. But very soon order was 
brought about, and committees appointed to look after 
various departments of the work. — Miss E. G. Terry, 
M. D. 



SIEGE DAYS 169 

COMMITTEE ON FORTIFICATIONS. 

We had been but one day in this siege when Sir 
Claude MacDonald placed Mr. F. D. Gamewell, of the 
American Methodist Mission, in charge of the fortifica- 
tions of the British compound. It was not happy 
chance that conferred this honor upon Mr. Gamewell. 
He had already proved himself to be the man for the 
place by the skillful manner in which he had fortified 
the Methodist mission. So through the long weeks of 
siege Mr. Gamewell and his assistants worked day and 
night. Nothing lulled Mr. Gamewell into false secur- 
ity. During truce, the defenses were pushed and weak 
points strengthened. The strange silence of guns or of 
firing for a day awakened suspicion in his mind, and 
they worked harder preparing for sudden attacks which 
always came. Mr. Killie, of the Presbyterian Mission, 
was his first assistant, and worked with unceasing vigor, 
night and day, day and night, tired out in body, cheer- 
ful in spirit, an inspiration to all. This brave Chris- 
tian gentleman lost over thirty pounds of flesh, was ill 
enough often to go to bed, but never gave up. After 
the siege was lifted, he came down suddenly with 
typhoid fever, but fought his way back to health with 
the same persistency and courage that had marked his 
siege career. 

There never was a day nor an hour when some of the 
fortifying crew were not at work. On August 14, when 
the allied troops came in the south gate, Mr. Gamewell 
and his men were at the north end, working in the 
trenches and on the walls. Colonel Scott Moncreith, 



170 SIEGE DAYS 

of the Eoyal Engineers, pronounced the fortification 
^'marvelons." "But," he said to Mr. Gamewell, "you 
must remember that never in the history of the world 
has such a volume of prayer ascended to God as went 
up for you from every known quarter of the world." — 
Mrs. J. Inglis. 

Every Legation and all other premises had their own 
outside walls, shutting them in from the street. Walls 
were built across the streets which lay between the prem- 
ises, and holes were made through walls that partitioned 
the different premises, so that streets and premises be- 
came practically one enclosure. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 
At the beginning o:^ the siege the Legations were 
wholly unfortified except for the substantial, high brick 
walls which surround every Chinese compound. It was 
these walls alone which prevented a general massacre 
during those first days. Night and day the work of 
fortification went on under the supervision of Mr. 
Gamewell of the Methodist Mission, who little realized 
until this emergency came why he had received the 
technical training to which, perhaps, our preservation 
was due. Barricade within barricade of sand bags or 
brick has risen ; windows and verandas in exposed posi- 
tions have been walled up with sand bags; trenches, 
tunnels for crossing exposed streets, mines and counter 
mines have made this Legation a strong fortress, and 
the five other Legations which were held were also 
strengthened to some extent in the same way. It was 
the coming here of our Christians which made this Her- 
culean task possible. Our native pastors have ex- 
changed the Bible for the sword, and the shoulders of 



SIEGE DAYS 171 

teachers and students unaccustomed to labor have been 
weighed down by heavy bricks or sand bags. In saving 
our Chinese, we saved ourselves, for no other workmen 
were available after the siege began. We formed a lit- 
tle world by ourselves. — Miss Luella Miner. 

Those in charge of the Christians who work on the 
defenses have a system of labels and numbers to keep 
all right. They find much difficulty in keeping the 
Catholics, and much prefer Protestants. — Miss J. G. 
Evans. 

APPOINTMENT OF OTHER COMMITTEES. 

At the same time that Mr. Gamewell was appointed 
to the work on defenses, various committees were formed 
for the greater comfort and convenience of those gath- 
ered in the Legations. We had our laundry, committees 
on native convert labor and food supplies, commissary 
department, Mr. Fenn and his mill, whereby we had 
bread to eat; our butchers, hospitals, reports and an- 
nouncements, and many others, not the least of which 
were the brave men on the fire committee. — Mrs. J. 
Inglis. 

Three doctors took charge of sanitary affairs, and 
drew up rules and regulations. All these precautions 
were of great value in preserving the general health. 

There was a committee on water supply. It was the 
duty of this committee to measure the wells within 
the Legation and see that there was no waste of water, 
lest a water famine ensue. Another committee' enlisted 



173 SIEGE DAYS 

the unarmed civilians for service in various depart- 
ments. 

Still another committee made a list of all able- 
bodied Chinese within the lines and classified them for 
work with the various committees. — Mrs. F. D. Game- 
well. 

The registrar of Chinese labor set himself to discover 
the particular gifts of the Chinese among ns, and soon 
watch-mending and poor cobbling were advertised on 
the bulletin board. If Chinese were designated to 
some special service, a label was sewed on the garment 
as a sign that the wearer was not to be drafted for 
barricade work. For instance, the scavengers, whose 
work must on no account be interfered with, were 
adorned with a gaily embroidered "hands off" label. 
All these labels were tacked on to the victims by the 
needles of the ladies at the door of the chapel, the men 
standing like sheep waiting a shearing. 

We must examine the work of some of these com- 
mittees more in detail. The habitat of most of these 
committees was the tennis court. The mention of the 
tennis court sometimes leads people to think that we 
played tennis. That tennis court was put to a variety 
of uses at different stages of the siege. It was a place 
where we dumped ourselves at first till properly sorted ; 
it was used as a bazaar for (I was going to say selling, 
but who had any money?) disposing in equitable ways 
of various necessities — a booth for agate ware, one for 
Chinese clothes and trunks, one for tinned stores and 
later eggs, one for cigars (for the English and conti- 
nentals, not patronized by our American missionaries. 



SIEGE DAYS 173 

One corner was penned off and used by the hens for 
their valuable function. This corner, too, offered some- 
thing not too martial to lead the babies to. Here on 
the edge a fringe of seats gave room for ladies to sit 
down after supper when it was too dark in the chapel. 
But tennis, oh, never ! So imagine most of these com- 
mittees (except fortifications, laundry, etc.) as either 
established at the bell tower or on the tennis court. 

CONFISCATED GOODS. 

It is wonderful how God has provided for our wants. 
When the people living around near here ran away, they 
left their things in their homes, and it comes within 
the rules of war that we can take possession of the ne- 
cessities of life. Indeed some said, ^^Take what you 
need; if you don't, the Boxers will get it." There were 
homes deserted where furniture and clothing, bedding, 
etc. were found, things much needed by those who had 
lost almost everything. Of course some one (Dr. 
Ament) was appointed to receive such things and deal 
out to needy ones. Every one who came in here lost 
more or less. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

FOOD SUPPLY. 

The work of gathering in food, begun as soon as 
we arrived in the Legation, was continued in a more 
systematic manner afterwards by committees appointed 
for the purpose. Tents were established for the distri- 
bution of these rations, and various other committees 
were necessary in the preparation of food. 

A deserted mill was found, and back of the room 



1^4 SIEGE DAYS 

containing the huge mill stones were found six mules 
that, in the days of his prosperity, had been used by 
the miller to turn the stones. A missionary was in- 
stalled miller and another missionary started a bakery 
in the British Legation, and the miller and the baker 
kept the missionaries in the church and some others 
supplied with bread. To be sure it was brown and 
coarse and sometimes sour, but it sustained life. An- 
other missionary superintended the meat market, where- 
in were slaughtered some eighty horses and the flesh 
distributed among the different messes.—Mrs. F. D. 
Gamewell. 

The proprietor of the French hotel was a man of 
wonderful resources. He was the first to begin baking 
bread in large quantities to supply a great need. When 
the shelling became too severe to continue in the kitchen 
he moved into the dining room, and when the dining 
room became dangerous he moved his bakery into the 
drawing room.—Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

LAUNDRY. 

It was difficult to get washing done till one enterpris- 
ing gentleman started a laundry. Lady MacDonald 
gave the use of her laundry for the general good. Still, 
persons with very limited wardrobes did not like to 
trust their scanty supply of clothing to the enterprise 
till an English gentleman was put in charge. Then 
order began to reign.— Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

The superintendent, Mr. Bredon, who was Sir Robert 
Hart's first secretary, could be seen at 5 o'clock any 
afternoon sitting on the ironing table and taking ac- 



SIEGE DAYS 175 

count of clothes received and clothes delivered. To 
speak quite frankly, the laundry work was not very 
good, but little attempt at ironing being made, as the 
force was insufficient and unskilled. Chosen to his po- 
sition as Mr. Bredon was for his ability to use fluently 
many tongues, he often joked about his promotion from 
being Sir Eobert Hart's first secretary to taking in his 
washing. — Mrs. Chauncey Goodrich. 

Some of the Chinese college students are detailed 
for laundry work, but they are green' hands. I am 
thankful to get my clothes through soap and water, al- 
though I cannot be sure they will be much cleaner when 
they come back than when they are sent. There is only 
starch enough for collars, and nothing else seems to be 
ironed. — Mrs. Ewing. 

WORK FOR WOMEN". 

Indeed, there was no one who did not engage in some 
unselfish service. Women who had been trained nurses 
acted with our women doctors and the Catholic sisters 
as nurses for the wounded and dying at our interna- 
tional hospital; others took charge of the cooking and 
serving of meals, doing their utmost to make palatable 
for the sick of many nationalities the often unsuitable 
and inadequate supply of food. — Mrs. Chauncey Good- 
rich. 

The hard work everyone had to do was a good thing 
for health and spirits. Some days every man, woman 
and child who could do anything was at work. The 
principal work of the women was making sand-bags, 



176 SIEGE DAYS 

The Chinese women and children required some looking 
after^ the care of the sick and wounded in the hospital 
and the washing of our clothes, most of which had to 
be done in our wash-bowls with cold hard water and 
very little soap. All these duties and many more took 
up all our time and strength, and of course we prayed 
while we worked. — Miss McKillican. 

MAKING SAND-BAGS. 

When sand-bags were suggested, the English marines 
objected to fighting behind sand-bags as "not manly," 
but after one of their number was shot, they soon 
learned their use. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

These bags were made 17 by 34 inches in size, filled 
with the common earth found in the yard, and piled up 
to make barricades. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

When we had made the first lot of sand-bags accord- 
ing to the size given us by Mr. Gamewell, and were 
working away on more, a soldier came along and said : 
"I don't like to risk my life behind such little bags as 
that. You will have to make them much bigger.'^ And 
so we acted on his advice. After this next lot was made 
and dispatched, a marine came along with an aggrieved 
look, saying : "Those bags are terribly big. It breaks 
our backs to take them up to the roofs of the houses. 
And it breaks the bags, too." What should we do? 
While in this dilemma, wishing we had not lost the 
original measurement and longing for Mr. Gamewell, 
he appeared around the corner on his wheel. (That 
wheel, by the way, seemed a magic wheel. One never 



SIEGE DAYS 177 

could speak of wishing to ask Mr. Gamewell some 
necessary question but that we saw that wheel bearing 
right down upon us. It was wonderful.) When he 
heard our dilemma he took pen and paper, wrote a few 
words, pinned them up in the vestibule of the chapel^ 
saying, "No matter who tells you to make them dif- 
ferent, make them just according to these measure- 
ments," and then, with a polite "good morning," he 
instantly vanished. — A. H. 

After the first fire, the work was begun of tearing 
down or burning buildings near us, in order that they 
might not afford shelter to Boxers or troops sent to de- 
stroy us. It was the goods found in these temples, 
houses and shops which gave us material for most of 
our sand-bags. — Mrs. C. Goodrich. 

From the foreign shops we brought in bolts of dry 
goods to be used for sand-bags. We later found several 
cloth and tailor shops belonging to the Chinese. The 
owners had fled, and we promptly used this also for 
sand-bags; damask, silks, satins, brocades, bed linen, 
Mrs. Conger's and Lady MacDonald's beautiful por- 
tieres, all were made into bags. It would have been 
saddening to cut up all these exquisite silks and linens, 
had we not so fully appreciated our danger. As it was, 
we cut and slashed the fine fabrics, often with smiles 
and jocular remarks, exceedingly thankful that we had 
material for the bags. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

It is remarkable how "God helps him who helps him- 
self." We would think we had given up everything, 
and then, just as the need would come from some quar- 



178 SIEGE DAYS 

ter for more bags, some men would appear laden with 
stuff; it might be rolls of damask worth a kingdom 
from some newly discovered shop, or it might be the 
yellow satin garments left by the priests when they 
fled from some temple, or, at one time, the heavy 
army blankets donated by our American boys. They 
"did not need them in this weather," they said. And 
well we knew that either relief or death must come be- 
fore winter, so they also went under the shears. — A. H. 

There were three sewing machines in the chapel 
where the missionaries were quartered. Two of these 
were hand machines, and few then were there, old or 
young, who did not take turns running the wheel; one 
minute an old gray-haired man, the next a child of 8 
or 10, for all were ready and willing to work.— Mrs. 
Inglis. 

Sometimes when the need was most urgent, division 
of labor was carried to a fine point. One lady would 
measure off the stuff, another would cut, another fold, 
another feed into the machine, which, of course, was 
run by another, while another would cut the thread be- 
tween the bags and lay them in piles. And so we 
worked all day. We used good whole stuff on the ma- 
chines, sending the old garments, army blankets, etc. 
over to the Chinese girls and women to be done by 
hand. We were obliged to save the good spool cotton 
for ourselves also, sending to them skein silk. The 
girls also twisted stout silk out of masses of silk waste. 
At first we feared the gaudy coloring of much of the 
stuff would attract the fire of the enemy. So we tried 
having the gay sand-bags dyed black in an inky mix- 



SIEGE DAYS 179 

ture of coal dust and water. But this proved far too 
laborious and was soon given up. As to the number of 
sand-bags made, it was variously estimated at forty 
to fifty thousand. — A. H. 

"WTien sand-bags are not in urgent demand, there is 
bedding for the hospital to be made, and trousers for 
the rest of our American marines. — Mrs. Ewing. 

It was well that all could find employment to occupy 
mind and heart, and in a measure divert attention 
from the direful plight in which all were placed. — Mrs. 
Gamewell. 

(The work of women on hospital work and food 
committee is described in other articles.) 

SELF-APPOINTED TASKS. 

The well-known adage, ^^What is somebody's business 
is nobody's business," was changed in the siege to read, 
"What is somebody's business is my business." It was 
this spirit that led one lady to arrange the glass and 
china on the altar every day, another to keep in order 
by daily care the box of spools and sewing silk for use 
on sand-bags, which would otherwise have become a 
hopelessly tangled net; while still a third took it upon 
herself to sweep down the attic stairs every day and to 
save all the scraps from the plates to give to the Chi- 
nese. 

The gentlemen, of course, were not behind in using 
all their gifts in public service. Mr. Fenn was not only 
a miller, but also a printer, in both Chinese and foreign 
style. While watching "the wheels go 'round" he had 



180 SIEGE DAYS 

time to carve out each day the block for printing the 
dinner ticket card for the Chinese. And when the 
bringing in of single copies of the Peking Gazette 
tempted many to break the tenth commandment, he 
used up all the gelatine pads and paper he had in fur- 
nishing quite a number of English files of the same, 
the translation being made by another public bene- 
factor. 

One of the gentlemen who had heard some of the 
ladies sighing for rain water to wash the smoke and 
cinders from their hair, took untold pains to have a 
great stone water jar brought over from a deserted Chi- 
nese house and then, to secure its being filled with rain 
water, had personally superintended it during a shower, 
with the immediate effect of being wet to the skin him- 
self, but the permanent result was a great jar of nice 
rain water, labeled, that it might be respected by 
others, ^^for the ladies in the chapel." What knight of 
middle ages could have done more? 

This same spirit of chivalry sent Mr. Gamewell to 
the inner court of Sir Claude^s, after the hardest night 
attacks, when the ear-splitting sounds seemed like the 
crack of doom. Standing outside the threshold, he 
would speak reassuring words there in the darkness to 
the missionary ladies within, telling them just what 
had been done, and it was never so bad as one had sup- 
posed it was. So those inside could compose themselves 
to sleep. 

Even some of the children caught the contagion, one 
of them giving herself up to the care of her little sister 
and other small children. — A. H. 



SIEGE DAYS 181 

DONATION PARTIES. 

Every one has worked just as hard as he or she 
could from morning until night and has been thank- 
ful there was something to occupy one's mind and fin- 
gers. Such a life as we are living — such a variety of 
lessons as we are having to learn — ^lessons in trust and 
faith, lessons of love and patience, as we are hud- 
dled together here in the chapel ! It is good to live 
with such sweet, unselfish people. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

Only with such a society would a commune be pos- 
sible. Those who had gone to the Legations instead of 
to the Methodist mission, and who consequently had 
not lost so much, sent over great bundles of clothing 
to us chapel refugees, and an English lady (a former 
missionary) furnished quilts and blankets till her own 
store was exhausted. — A. H. 

children's corner. 

The Story of Dinger. 

When we left our home in Tungchou we carried our 
little dog with us. He was such a cunning little dog, 
with a soft, silky coat of long hair. He had a pug 
nose and a little wliite spot on his forehead, and be- 
cause of the spot we called him Dinger, which means 
"spot.'' When we were ordered to leave the Methodist 
Mission we could only take what we could carry in our 
hands. I took Dinger in my arms, but mamma said I 
must carry a pillow and tins of milk and jam and leave 
Dinger there. I could not bear to have the Boxers take 
our nice little dog, so I begged mamma to let me take 



182 SIEGE DAYS 

Binger too. Papa said I could try it. We marched 
two by two to the Legation, the soldiers guarding us. 
Dinger was restless and wanted to get down, but I held 
him tight. 

He slept at our feet on the floor all summer. They 
said at the Legation if any dog was loose they would 
shoot it. I was so scared for fear that Dinger would 
be shot. I was afraid, too, that some day there would 
not be even a scrap of food for little Dinger, but that 
time never came. 

I think he liked mule meat better than we did. I 
wanted to bring Dinger to America with us. Mamma 
wanted to also, but she thought we had better leave 
him to comfort our Chinese nurse, who had taken care 
ot all of us since we were babies.— Dorothea Goodrich. 



SECOND WEEK. 

I. Journals. 

II. Articles. 

Food. 

Misses Wyckoft' and McCoy, Mrs. Fenn, Mrs. 
Killie and others. 
Our Defenders. 

Dr. Terry and others. 

III. Children's Corner. 

Carrington Goodrich. 

June 27 — The Boxers made a rush on the American 
boys on the wall, but were repulsed with 80 (Chinese) 
killed. They fled, leaving their banners behind them. 

At 11 : 30 a fierce attack was made on the Legation. — 
Miss E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

June 28 — Today the enemy made a rush and broke 
into the Fu. The Chinese Christians, seeing them, 
and thinking that their end was come, stood together 
in a group and began singing the doxology, with which 
services are always closed in China ; and what could 
be more fitting for the close of the life service ? 

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow; 

Praise Him, all creatures here below.'' 
And if God called them for further service here below 
they could praise Him for it. 

"Praise Him above, ye heavenly host." 

183 



184 SIEGE DAYS 

And if He should call them to join this heavenly host, 
they would go in the act of praising Him. 

"Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost." 

The Japanese, who were making the defense, knowing 
that this was an act of worship, waited in reverential 
silence till they had finished; then, knowing no better 
way of expressing their feelings, they clapped them. 
Then again turning to business they renewed the de- 
fense and drove the enemy out. — A. H. 

June 29 — Three weeks since we left Tungchou. What 
will the next three weeks have for us? The days are 
long and tiresome, for we get up very early in the 
morning. Usually one can^t sleep after four on account 
of the flies, and if we have been kept awake in the 
night by the firing, as usually is the case, it is es- 
pecially hard. Last evening just before supper, I was 
tired and almost discouraged with trying to bear any 
more. The noise of the afternoon attack, which had 
lasted so long, had been hard on everyone's nerves, but 
when the attack came just before supper and those 
fierce volleys of the cannon came against our wall, the 
Lord seemed to come to me with new strength. His 
voice seemed so plain as it said : "Fear thou not ; for 
I am with thee," and it made me calm in the midst 
of all the terror without. He never does and never can 
let go of us, even if we for a little let go of His hand 
sometimes. I wish all my friends could know I am 
getting through this time in His strength. 

This afternoon early I went over into Lady Mac- 
Donald's ball room to rest, and a number of our ladies 



SIEGE DAYS 185 

were there. They sleep there at night. It is quite a 
pretty place and has couches surrounding the wall. It 
is clean and free from the noise of children, the clat- 
ter of people's voices and the sewing machines which 
are used to make the sand-bags. But oh, how loud the 
bullets were ! They cracked, cracked and crashed 
against the sides of the wall and the house. "I had 
fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the 
Lord in the land of the living." — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

Some of the most severe fighting, it will be remem- 
bered, was in the palace grounds of Prince Su, where 
our native Christians were. Their place was defended 
by the Japanese. Today a Japanese officer came over to 
the Legation, saying the night before the Chinese had 
been trying to break through the wall. The Japanese 
had tried to pour hot water on them, but now they 
wanted something more effective. In his stilted English 
he asked for the use of the "fire extinguisher and some 
ammonia, or something to irritate the skin of the en- 
emy."— Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

Still cannonading. Dr. Lippett, United States ma- 
rine surgeon, was wounded while standing in the door 
of Major Conger's house. The bullet entered his thigh, 
causing a compound fracture. An attack was made 
on the French Legation. A thunder storm and firing 
from Chinese began at 10 p. m. A horrible night. A 
bullet fired through the chapel window fell on Dr. 
Wherry's bed.— Miss E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

Bomb-proofs.— For fear that the cannonading should 
greatly increase, bomb-proof shelters have been built 



186 SIEGE DAYS 

for final retreat. Large pits have been dug, roofed 
over and covered with several layers of sand-bags. From 
ten to twenty-five people are supposed to crowd into 
each of these, if necessary, but we all hope we shall not 
be driven into such suffocating holes. — Mrs. Ewing. 

June 30 — The attack last night was so severe that the 
bell rang for the volunteers to come and help. It was 
such a long, hard night. A bullet came through the win- 
dow at my head, struck the opposite wall, glanced off it 
and fell on Dr. Wherry's bed without hurting anybody. 

It is reported that all but one of the city gates are 
blocked up with earth, but we might as well be at the 
north pole as far as knowing anything that is going oa 
in Peking is concerned. You may know more than we 
do. — Miss J. Gr. Evans. 

This morning they threw ever so many explosive 
shells into the compound, but no harm was done. It 
is thought that perhaps they do not know how to use 
the gun^ which shoots them. A rumor was started this 
afternoon that they were beginning to use cash for 
ammunition, as some was found which might have 
been shot from a gun. We have rumors galore here, 
until sometimes one is tempted to believe they were 
started in fun. Just now, for a little time, there is no 
firing, and every one is speculating on the reason. Some 
believe they have gone to meet our nearing troops; 
others that they are planning an awful attack for to- 
night. We all think our soldiers will be here before 
many days, and all surely hope we may have them to 
celebrate the Fourth of July with us. It would cer- 



SIEGE DAYS 187 

tainly be a glorious Fourth if they should come. The 
English would join us in celebrating if the troops came. 

1 guess it will be a queer day for us Americans here 
in the British Legation among the English. — Mrs. H. S. 
Gait. 

July 1, Sunday — We made arrangements for a ser- 
vice today in the chapel, but just before the time word 
came in that our American marines would have to leav^ 
their position on the city wall unless they could have 
several hundred sand-bags within two hours. The los- 
ing of this position means almost certain destruction to 
us, so you may be sure the needles flew on that Sunday 
and we made the necessary number. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

And the work of the men on the sand-bags that day 
was a dangerous task. 

Our men went into a Chinese tailor's shop which 
our guns command, and took his stock, leaving a ticket 
by which he can get back the value when this is over. 
One of our Chinese was killed and six wounded in tak- 
ing the sand-bags up. What a fearful Sabbath! One 
Japanese and two Italians killed and four wounded. 
God keep us this night. Mr. Smith and three others 
went over to keep the Christians at work all night 
building barricades with our men, bullets whistling 
around them. We are anxious for our men tonight. — 
Miss J. G. Evans. 

I wish some short-hand reporter had been on hand 
to have caught the description of the events of July 

2 as they were detailed by "Ladybird" some time there- 
after. It is impossible now to reproduce it. 



188 SIEGE DAYS 

He was sitting in the chapel porch, and as usual the 
children were all over him, on his knees and shoulders 
and feet. By and by we grown-ups saw that he had 
a story to tell, and we, too, gathered around him. He 
first described how the Chinese on the wall had been 
bringing their barricade closer and closer to us on the 
west, until it was only four feet away, and the only hope 
of holding our position was to rush this barricade. It 
was a desperate chance, but the occasion was desperate. 
It was past midnight when Capt. Myers summoned his 
men, not only the 37 Americans under him there, but 
also 34 British and 9 Eussians. "But before he led us 
forth to life or death," said "Ladybird," "he gathered us 
around him. ^Now, boys,^ said he, pointing below to the 
English Legation, ^you know that down there are two 
hundred and more helpless women and children who 
must die if we cannot take that barricade. Are you 
willing to die for them, boys T "Aye, aye, sir ; we^ll do 
our best,^ said Turner, our best shot, and ^Aye, aye, 
sir,' said we, every last man of us. And so he led us 
out. It was a hard brush. Turner and one other 
American boy were killed, and four men wounded, even 
Capt. Myers himself was wounded by a Chinese spear 
just below the knee. But we got their barricade and 
seventeen rifles and 1,000 rounds of ammunition." 

All honor to our brave defenders. God bless them! 

(From a letter written home.) 

'July 3 — I think very likely that you may have heard 
that we in Peking have all been slaughtered, and you 
may be mourning me as dead. But up to this point 



SIEGE DAYS 189 

the Lord has wonderfully preserved our lives. It seems 
like a daily miracle. Just now, not five minutes ago, 
as I was coming into the church, two bullets whistled 
close above my head, one of them striking the branch 
of a bush near me. A soldier standing close beside me 
looked terrified, ducked his head, and said in French: 
"It is not safe to pass here.'' As a usual thing the bul- 
lets and shells fly so far above our heads that we hear 
their whistling and singing quite unconcernedly. But 
several times they have come quite close to me, at one 
time passing right between Mrs. Reid and myself. I 
had just moved away from close at her side. We were 
spared any dispute as to which of us should claim the 
bullet by its lodging itself in a great pile of broken bot- 
tles beyond us. I seem to bear a charmed life, but I 
never needlessly expose myself. Everyone has the same 
tale to tell — truly God is our deliverance. For myself, 
I feel wholly trustful and peaceful — so calm and satis- 
fied. I am sure everything is going to be for the glory 
of God, and His plans seem so wonderful to me in 
their unfolding that it seems as if I hardly knew how 
to pray. This was to have been my wedding day, but 
at this crisis, with no knowledge of any moment beyond 
the present, of whether my good man is alive or dead, 
or of any place outside the limits of the Legation and 
the compounds where our Christians are, how can we 
make our own little plans? We know that the lives 
of the foreigners and Chinese with us are being pre- 
served day by day in a way that seems like a daily mira- 
cle, and in a way that no one would have thought of 
asking. The hellish rage of our enemies on every side 



190 SIEGE DAYS 

is for the most part ineffectual. Only a very few are 
killed and wounded, considering the number of tons 
of shot and shell that have gone singing over our heads. 
The feeding of this great multitude, nearly a thousand 
foreigners, and perhaps three times as many Chinese, 
is in itself a problem like the feeding of the children of 
Israel. We were in a state of practical siege even be- 
fore we left the Methodist Mission. We have now been 
in a state of close siege at the English Legation for just 
two weeks, or it will be two weeks tomorrow morning. 
It is a siege so close that no one knows even whether the 
troops are coming to our relief or not, whether or no 
all other foreigners in China were attacked at the open- 
ing of the war, not even whether a building so near as 
our old home, the Methodist Mission Church, still re- 
mains unburnt. But one thing we are very certain of 
— that everything is going to fall out in accordance 
with His glorious plans for us. It is all just right. — 
Ada Haven. 

POOD. 

Foraging. 

When we began to gather in the British legation 
about noon that Wednesday there were practically no 
provisions there for the hundreds of foreigners and 
thousands of Chinese. It seems incredible that within 
a few hours provisions could be brought in from outside 
our lines, and found within our lines for transportation 
later, which have kept us in comparative comfort for 
two months. It is due largely to the forethought and 
energy of American missionaries that starvation was not 



SIEGE DAYS 191 

added to the other horrors of the siege. After escort- 
ing the women and children to the Legation, they re- 
turned at great risk to the Methodist Mission, and 
many, leaving their own clothing and valuables, loaded 
carts with groceries and other stores more precious than 
gold. The foreign shops were near the Legations, and 
though all were soon abandoned and some of them 
burned, most of the provisions were first carried to the 
British Legation, though often among whistling bullets. 
But God's providence has been most wonderfully shown 
in the fact that Chinese wholesale grain shops were 
included within the guarded area, one alone containing 
fresh stores of wheat just in from Honan sufficient to 
feed many hundreds for two months. — Miss Miner. 

Even when we came from the M. E. Mission we 
had to leave nearly all the provisions with which we 
had stocked the church. Only a small proportion was 
saved, and when there we had bought out the foreign 
stores in some lines. But on the day of our arrival 
here a Chinese shop was found supplied with foreign 
canned goods. The owner had left and our committee 
seized the goods, keeping a careful account in order to 
pay in the future. A large grain shop was found, the 
proprietor of which asked us to clean out his stock 
without pay. Of course he expects pay later, but he 
knows that his countrymen would take all he had now, 
whether grain or money. In another grain shop werq 
found several tons of wheat in the kernel, this year's 
growth. Grist mills were also ready to our use, and the 
grain has been ground and bolted. Though not very 
fine, it is eatable and nourishing. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 



192 SIEGE DAYS 

The Chinese servants were at first sent out to help 
in the foraging, but it was found they were not very 
good judges of what constituted contraband of war or 
forage. That first afternoon, when so much depended 
on getting as much food as possible within our lines, 
two or three large, handsome foreign clocks, with bell 
glasses, were brought in, and we one day saw an iron 
pail full of cash standing in the bathroom, evidently 
having been brought in by some one who thought cash 
was still circulating medium, ignorant of the fact that 
the pail was of more value without the cash in it than 
with it, as, if empty, it could be used as a fire bucket. 
—A. H. 

Our bread is all baked by the hotel manager, and of 
course we do not have cake or pastry. Everything in 
the way of food material is carefully measured out and 
all left-overs kept for the next meal. A famous dish wq 
have is siege pancakes. These are made out of rem- 
nants of cereal, rice and stale bread, with baking pow- 
der to raise them. At first we ate molasses on them, 
but now that is gone we use sugar. There are two or 
three cooks, and they prepare everything on a small 
Chinese range. 

As to horse flesh, it was rather hard to muster cour- 
age for the first taste, but now that we have become 
accustomed to the diet, it is not easy to tell the differ- 
ence between horse flesh and beef. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Some horses which were turned into the street be- 
tween our barricades have been shot, and consequently 
we have a new delicacy added to our bill of fare. We 



SIEGE DAYS 193 

call it "French roast beef." This morning it was pre- 
pared in the form of curry to eat with our rice. I 
started out this morning to eat my rice without any- 
thing to help it down; then I remembered how faint 
I got between meals yesterday and made an attempt at 
the "French beef." I managed to gulp down a few 
mouthfuls; then the lady who was sitting beside me 
began to get sea-sick, and it was too much for me. I 
ate the rest of my rice clear. My reason tells me that 
horse meat is cleaner than pork, but it must be con- 
fessed that the Anglo-Saxon stomach is prejudiced 
against that noble animal. We still have a good many 
stores on hand, but as we have no idea how much 
longer we must stand this siege nor how many foreign 
soldiers may come to be fed, we must be economical. — 
Miss L. Miner. 

DrinJc. 

The abundant water supply is also remarkable. There 
are eight wells in the compound, five of them contain- 
ing good drinking water. In all Peking we never 
should have expected to find water safe to drink without 
first boiling, but one of these wells (the most centrally 
situated) has delicious water and most of us drink it 
clear and cold, just as it is drawn. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Coffee, both real and cereal, tea and citric acid for 
lemonade furnished variety for drink. 

Fuel 

At first, old buildings near us from which there was 
danger of fire were torn down and the wood used foi* 



194 SIEGE DAYS 

fuel. Later coal was found in great abundance, enough 
to last for months. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Committee on Food, 

We appointed three ladies, one from each mission, 
as a permanent committee, and they have had general 
care of all meals, giving out all the stores to the cook, 
and making out the bill of fare, etc. Ladies from the 
three missions have general oversight of the meals, one 
taking her turn a day about. — Mrs. E. G. Tewksbury. 

The ladies appointed on the food committee were 
Miss Grace Wyckoff (A. B. C. F. M.), Miss Bessie Mc- 
Coy (A. P. M.), and Miss Gertrude Gilman (M. E. 
M.). They have been requested to give an account of 
their labors. 

In course of time it fell to my lot to be one of a com- 
mittee of three, whose duty it should be to have in 
charge stores and provisions assigned to our "mess," 
prepare a menu for daily meals, with directions for 
serving; also general supervision of kitchen, table set- 
ting, dish washing, et cetera. 

The details of those first few days are not as in- 
delibly impressed on my mind as one might expect 
them to be, nevertheless I still see most vividly certain 
gentlemen hurrying in and out, emptying their loaded 
arms, to return with arms again filled with good things. 
There were plates and cups, knives and forks, spoons, 
odd serving dishes — all of which came in most con- 
veniently as the days passed. 

There were bottles of various kinds of essences, spices. 
candied fruits, citric, tartaric acid, pickles, olives, Wor- 



SIEGE BAYS 196 

cestershire sauce, tomato catsup, chocolate, cocoa, corn 
starch, arrowroot, pearl barley, tapioca, tinned fruits, 
tinned meats, porridge stuffs, biscuit and wafers, but- 
ter, milk, bags of coffee, sugar, beans, native com meal 
and ground wheat. 

It was an odd, incomplete assortment, such as one 
finds in a small foreign store in Peking, but it was a kind 
Providence which brought it to our hands at such a 
time. Were we then to live in luxury? N'ot exactly 
— no fresh vegetables, no potatoes, no fowl, no fresh 
meat, occasionally a little mutton, intended for invalids. 
Mule meat was good enough for those who liked it, and 
the old brown Chinese rice, though inferior to good 
chicken feed, helped out as a staple of diet. After 
grinding was begun, and a bakery started, there was 
plenty of bread, which proved to be the staff of life, 
though at first it was very coarse, and went down pretty 
hard. Part of the time it was very good and a very 
great boon. 

The supplies in hand were excellent in quality, and 
answered just the purpose one might expect at such a 
time. They whetted our appetites and kept us thankful 
for small favors, though tantalizing us just enough to 
make us wish for more, even at times to almost envy- 
ing someone for taking a bit more than his or her 
share. 

The confusion and discomfort of our first meals wag 
very great; for there were no tables. The gentlemen 
were forlorn enough, for their skirtless knees are ill- 
adapted to hold even a plate; the ladies and children sat 



196 SIEGE DAYS 

around on the platform, and made the best of onr primi- 
tive style of living. 

Time is a panacea for all ills, and little by little we 
adjusted ourselves to existing circumstances, and life 
was not only bearable, but had in it much that was 
pleasant, in spite of constant anxiety. I shall leave 
the details of improvements made day by day, as also 
other facts connected with the special duties of our 
Committee to the other two ladies, who, during those 
long-continued days of mingled hope and fear, came to 
be such warm friends of mine. What might have been 
a heavy burden, was made more than light, by the con- 
siderateness of all, and by the perfect love and harmony 
between the members of the committee. — Grace Wyckoff. 

As I look back upon those days spent in the vestry 
of the British Legation Chapel, it is with repulsion — 
those very narrow quarters, the heat, the confusion and 
the -flies cannot easily be forgotten. The vestry turned 
into a store-room was not more than five by ten feet 
in its dimensions. There the provisions from the three 
foreign stores on Legation street were brought and 
heaped on the floor. The committee of three scarcely 
found room for themselves as they sorted and arranged 
the various tins and bags of food. It was a question, 
how long the stock was to last the seventy-one con- 
sumers. The duty of the committee was to plan the 
meals in the most economical way, and post up on the 
screen a menu for the benefit of ladies assisting in the 
serving. A sample might be given as follows — the 
soup, steak and stew all of pony meat, of course : 



SIEGE DAYS 197 

Menu — June 28, 1900. 

BREAKFAST 

Porridge of ground wheat 

Steak 
Wheat bread and butter. 

DINNER 

Soup 

Stew with brown flour dumplings 

Crackers and jam 

SUPPER 

Brown rice pancakes and syrup 

Bread, no butter. 

We had to vary the bill of fare with boiled beans, rice 
puddings, and anything we could make without eggs, 
butter or lard. At the beginning of the siege the ques- 
tion of water supply confronted us as well as that of 
food. The second day we had been in the Legations, 
one of the servants came in and said: "What shall we 
do for water? They have locked the well." My heart 
sank, for I feared the reason of a locked well was 
scarcity of water. On asking one of the members of the 
general committee what was to be done, he explained 
that there was plenty of water to be had in the many 
other wells on the premises, and that the large well had 
been locked up only to save its supply as a near well, 
and to send people to farther ones first. Hard cold 
water was used for laundry purposes as our heating fa- 
cilities were limited. The chapel food committee suc- 
ceeded in keeping a supply of cold boiled water in 
bottles for those who feared to drink from the wells. 
These bottles of water were cooled all that long summer 



198 SIEGE DAYS 

by putting in stone jars filled with cold water from 
the wells. The inconvenience of lack of hot water was 
felt by everyone. All worked for the general comfort 
in spite of such inconveniences, however, and as time 
went on, things were more and more systematized — the 
heat at meal times was relieved by using punkas made 
out of old theater screens, the altar was changed into a 
very convenient side-board, and Chinese tables took 
the place of the prayer book racks. The tables were 
found in deserted Chinese houses, near the legations. 
as also were benches. Two small entry rooms were 
turned into dressing rooms, one for the gentlemen and 
one for the ladies. It was also the duty of the chapel 
committee to attend to cleaning and keeping in order 
the whole chapel, which was no easy task when the 
servants would disappear — gone to do barricade work, 
or some other duty. But of all the discomforts of that 
dreadful summer, one of the worst was the plague of 
flies. They swarmed into everjrthing, especially in the 
store-room. As we entered the first thing in the morn- 
ing, a great buzzing met our ear. One of the members 
of our committee said one morning: "We must pray 
about these flies, '^ We prayed for grace to bear them, 
and all that brought dread into our hearts, those 
summer days in Peking — and it was given. We live to 
thank the loving, merciful Lord for our deliverance. — 
Bessie C. McCoy. 

Honsekee'pers. 

Two of our ladies act as housekeepers each day, mak- 
ing the tea and coffee on oil stoves, cutting and spread- 



SIEGE DAYS 199 

ing bread, preparing dishes of butter, sugar and milk 
— and serving the rest when all is ready. Two others 
assist the housekeepers in serving and they are all kept 
busy, I can assure you. They wash the dishes, bring 
the food from the kitchen, which is on the opposite 
side of the next court, draw water, etc. — Mrs. C. E. 
Ewing. 

We jokingly say we shall all know how to keep 
hotel when we get through here, and can do that if 
we can't be missionaries any more. We all try to make 
the best of living here; and with such nice unselfish 
people it isn't as hard as it might be. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

Waiting on Table. 

The turn to be housekeeper came around every six 
days, and the couple who acted as housekeepers one day 
served as waiters the next. We who waited on table 
soon learned that the motto of our restaurant was : "If 
there is anything which you wish, if you don't see it, 
do7iH ask for it." So we learned to turn a deaf ear 
to appeals for mustard, pickles, jelly, etc. — an3rthing, in 
fact, which had not appeared on the bill of fare pinned 
on the vestry door. — A. H. 

The waiters eat after all the rest are through, and I 
like that, for we know how much there is left, and can 
have a second help without fear of robbing others. I 
ate all I wanted to on those days that I served as 
waiter. I generally do get enough, but have such a 
greedy feeling all the time. Many of the ladies cannot 
eat the coarse food, brown rice and coarse graham 
bread. We have a number of delicacies obtained from 



200 SIEGE DAYS 

the foreign stores, such as sardines, canned fruit, etc., 
but these have to be dealt out sparingly. One Sunday, 
desert consisted of one large macaroon, or two small 
ones, two nuts and two candies for each person. These 
had to be all divided into dishes beforehand, for it 
would never have been made equal if passed around in 
quantity. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Early Morning Coffee. 
By Mrs. Charles A. Killie. 

You suggest my writing about my experiences with 
the "Early Morning Coffee." It seems to me that every- 
one in the world knows all about the morning coffee 
in the British Legation during the siege of Peking, 
but perhaps not. Yes, many were the mornings when I 
arose from my bed of three planks laid across two empty 
wooden boxes, in order to make early morning coffee 
for some of the gentlemen whose work called them 
out at a very early hour; and then later for our 
party of thirty or more missionaries in our "mess" in 
the Legation Chapel. My husband and I slept, or tried 
to sleep, between showers of shot and shell, on a 
corner of Secretary Cockburn's veranda. This was ex- 
posed on three sides, with only lattice-work to turn the 
bullets. Bullets repeatedly came into this, our "bed- 
room." It was interesting one night when we heard a 
bullet strike the pillow on which Mr. Killie was rest- 
ing his tired head. He picked it up, but found it so hot 
that he dropped it very quickly. When the attacks were 
very heavy, the bell in the bell-tower would be rung, 
and Mr. Killie would be called out with the others with 



SIEGE DAYS 201 

their guns. At such times I would take refuge in the 
house with Mrs. Coekbum, until the storm passed 
by. It was not safe on this veranda, of course, but we 
could sleep and be quiet between attacks, and that was 
more than we could do while we were in the chapel 
with more than forty other people, fifteen of them 
children, some of whom were crying all the night long. 
My husband was one of those who worked early and 
late, and must therefore have some rest at night. Hence 
we took these "Apartments to let" kindly offered us on 
the veranda. (The house was filled to overflowing.) 
Now see how far away from my subject of early morn- 
ing coffee I have wandered. As I have said, Mr. Killie 
and several other gentlemen arose every morning with 
the earliest twittering of the birds; each one going to 
his post of duty, getting the squads of Chinese out to 
work, building fortifications, digging trenches, filling 
sand bags, grinding flour, or a hundred and one other 
kinds of work that these gentlemen were in chargii 
of. Our breakfast was served in the messes at 6:30, 
7:30 and 8:30 o'clock, respectively (a different company 
at each hour). Now these poor gentlemen who got out 
at four o'clock, would get very faint before breakfast, 
so I got up and had hot coffee and a slice of bread ready 
for them at six o'clock. Of course I did it for my hus- 
band at first, then as the others came around I did it for 
them, and gladly, and these gentlemen have already 
risen up and called me blessed, without waiting for me 
to die. A large supply of green coffee was found in 
the principal foreign store of Peking, which was brought 
into the British Legation, where it was roasted as needed 



202 SIEGE DAYS 

on the tennis court, its aroma filling the air all abont 
there. We had plenty to give to everyone once per 
day all during the siege, and it was good, too. Of 
course, there soon came a time when it had to be served 
black, as our milk ran out, but even then it was 
good and very refreshing to us all. After the milk got 
so low that it could be used only for children and the 
sick, I "looted" some for these early cups for these 
weary, faint, hardworking gentlemen who needed it 
just as much as the sick, and indeed I thought they 
belonged to that class — and I am not sorry that I did 
it — wish that I had given them more. One dear good 
Methodist brother was so modest and humble. He 
never asked for anything, but when I knew that he 
needed a hot cup of coffee, I would fix it up with cream 
and sugar, and toast a slice of bread, and take it to him 
out by the bell-tower, where he worked by the hour 
assigning Chinese to their difficult stations of labor. I 

would say, "Mr. H , will you not have this cup of 

coffee?" and would hold it close to his nose so that he 
could get a good whiff. He would straighten up with 
big round eyes and would say, "K'e pu shih ma?'^ 
"By all means," or "0, won't I though?" 

No one but myself and the Chinese who helped me 
with the fire and water, will ever know the difficulties 
we passed through with every day in trying to get hot 
water to make coffee for our "mess" every morning dur- 
ing the siege, for, as I have said, I made this as well as 
the early morning coffee. Many a time when the water 
was just at the boiling point and ready for use, if we 
even turned our heads away from that water pot, some 



SIEGE DAYS 203 

conscienceless Chinese servant would come and pour 
out the water into his kettle to drink, or into his pan 
to wash his dirty face with; and this in the hot 
summier time, too, mind you. We would turn back just 
in time to see the pan sitting there steaming away, 
or to see him disappearing around the corner or across 
the yard with his kettle or greasy vessel steaming hot, 
while our kettle stood empty and cold. One lady was 
so exasperated one morning to find her coffee water 
steaming away in the Chinaman's wash-pan that she 
lifted up the toe of her boot and turned it over on 
the ground. Some criticised her and said that a mission- 
ary ought not to do such things, but I say that mis- 
sionaries have some rights which people ought to respect, 
even during a siege. — Mrs. C. A. Killie. 

Luxuries. 

How many siege memories gathered about the all-im- 
portant topic of food — some of them queer mixtures of 
the serious and laughable. Who can forget Miss 
McCoy's famous pudding of black rice, raisins, and 
spices, and some of the other attempts to give us a 
varied diet ? But while lack of milk and eggs for pud- 
ding was something to get fun out of, it became a 
serious matter where young children and sick people 
were concerned. At one time, I recall, when my baby 
could take no food at all, I felt that I must have the 
white of an Qgg to put in the water she drank. I 
pointed out to her father that one enterprising father 
had come in with an egg in his pocket; and that if it 
were possible to loot one, we should thankfully use the 



204 SIEGE DAYS 

only means that Providence allowed us of securing one. 
He did not much relish my suggestion, but when he 
returned again the egg was in his pocket. "This is 
a diluted egg,'' he said, "the looted egg of a looted 
hen." 

Another such prized luxury was white bread, a 
small amount of which could be had for the sick. 
Many a trip I made across the tennis court to Miss 
Douw's room, often amid flying bullets, for a slice for 
Martha. Henry used to stand by with longing eyes 
while I fed the toast to his little sister, waiting for the 
bits of crust which he knew she could not eat. We 
learned new values for things in those days. How 
carefully the yolk of that egg was saved for another 
child, not too sick to eat it. At times when I had 
mixed a little condensed milk for my baby and she 
was unable to take it, I would start out, cup in hand, 
to find some other child who needed it just then, that 
the precious food might not be wasted. There are sev- 
eral mothers who will not forget how more than once 
Mr. Norris secured a chicken and Mrs. Brazier made 
it into broth, which was most unselfishly divided into 
equal portions, that each sick child might have a share 
of it. What a blessing a cup of cocoa can be to those 
who, in the early morning after a weary night of nurs- 
ing, became objects of Mrs. Smith's solicitude and were 
invited into her little "lean to" outside the chapel for 
refreshment. N'o one called anything her own in those 
days, but held it in trust for those who needed it most. 
— Miss C. H. Fenn. 



SIEGE DAYS 205 

Meal-Times. 

The chapel was our general place of resort, where 
the whole company of American missionaries lived as 
one harmonious family. Denominational lines grew very 
thin, but for the sake of convenience, the American 
Board breakfast was served at half past six in the morn- 
ing, the Presbyterian at half past seven, and the 
Methodist at half past eight. It is a question whether 
the Methodists were more self-sacrificing than the others, 
or whether they wanted the extra nap. After the break- 
fast was cleared away, the chapel put in order and we 
had prayers, it was almost time for the American Board 
friends to eat again. 

One day a native teacher said to her friends, "I 
have been wondering what the foreigners have to eat 
these days. I know the kind of food they are accus- 
tomed to, but to-day when the bell rang for dinner I 
was in the chapel. As they came in, everyone seemed so 
cheerful and happy, I thought they must be coming to 
a feast. They sat down to the table, and after the 
blessing was asked, they passed the food. The bread 
was black, oh, very black ; and each one took just a little 
bit. Yet no one complained. Then they passed the food 
in very small dishes, and each took a very small 
amount. Still they were happy." We trust the cheer- 
fulness with which we took our privations may have 
been an object lesson to our Chinese friends. It must 
be remembered, however, that the amount of rice sensed 
in an ordinary vegetable dish for a whole table full, 
would just about have made a Chinaman a good square 
meal. Still, if we sometimes felt the coarse Graham 



206 SIEGE DAYS 

bread and the brown rice were not sufficiently nourish- 
ing, "we were not complaining," as one of onr number 
remarked, "but simply stating a fact." Someone else 
very truly said, "A little of it would go a long way." — 
Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

Ashing the Blessing. 

There is one scene in the chapel life that I would 
wish to preserve, and yet never wished that someone had 
been there with a kodak, since it would have seemed 
irreverent to take a snap-shot of such a scene, for it 
belongs to the realm of religious art. But to describe 
the scene to a painter, one would wish for the art of Miss 
Carey in her "Order for a picture." And, though one 
could well use some of the Dutch genre artists to paint 
in the homely details of the picture, we must have one 
of the old masters in religious art to paint in the 
heads, someone with the strength of Michael Angelo, 
and tenderness of Carlo Dolci. 

Now to begin with the material parts of the picture. 
The chapel interior of course serves as background for 
the picture. We will allow the Dutch painter to do 
that. Now begin at the top, Mynherr, and put in the 
illuminated texts on the cornice. They are doubly 
illuminated now by the flies, but that will not show in 
the picture. (They say the Italian painters, who had 
just finished those texts, made their escape from Peking 
so late that they might have been killed by the Boxers 
on their way to the coast.) Now high, on either side of 
the apse, paint a wall-bracket holding a group of de- 
jected looking candles, so bent that their wicks point to 



SIEGE DAYS 207 

the earth; the last relic of high churchism, and over- 
come with abject shame at their unecclesiastical sur- 
roundings — the altar full within with the baggage of 
dissenters, and without piled with what is left of their 
cups and plates after the spreading of the table. The 
organ and window-sills are spread with dessert, each 
saucer holding one slice of pine-apple. And, oh, if the 
painter could only paint in the smell of that pine-apple ! 
And how glad we used to be when pine-apple day came 
around, just to sit with our sand-bags in the chapel 
and enjoy that delicious fragrance, for it was not every 
odor that came to our noses, that was as luxurious as 
that. The perfume of pine-apple will always bring up 
that scene. 

We shall leave it to the painter to decide whether 
he will paint one long row of tables for the adults 
with low tables at the side around which are gathered 
the little folks seated on kneeling-stools, or whether 
he would prefer a later stage where two rows of tables 
gave seating room for children too. Other details of 
furniture he can get from the descriptions of others. 
The table must be spread with an odd assemblage of 
crockery and agate ware. 

And, M3Tiherr, you may paint the costumes of the 
guests at this strange banquet. You will notice that 
some of the gentlemen show quite an expanse of shirt- 
bosom, in fact, it looks as if the vests were all cut away, 
and perhaps the coat, too. And some of the ladies do 
not have high collars, but it is not because their cos- 
tumes are decollette. A handkerchief folded cross- 
wise usually takes the place of the collar at the neck 



208 SIEGE DAYS 

of the shirt-waist. And you will notice that whether 
masculine shirt or feminine shirt-waist, the same style 
of laundry prevails, that peculiar crepe-like effect called 
"rough-dry." As for the worn-out shoes, of course 
only those at the end of the table will show. 

Well, now you may let the other painter come to the 
easel, and put in the faces. The housekeeper for the 
day, standing on the platform at the head of the table, 
surrounded by her kettles of soup, etc., is the only one 
with her face towards us — a kind of guardian angel. 
She has just clapped her hands to command attention, 
and called on someone to "say grace." The two rows 
of heads which we see in perspective, of course, are seen 
in profile, all bowed now, and the eyes closed. Perhaps 
you will object that this does not give you enough 
field for expression. But this is not so. I have some- 
times come in when the meal of the other table was in 
progress, and accidentally found myself near the end 
of the table before I knew the blessing was in progress. 
And I have never looked at these rows of bowed heads 
without a lump rising in my throat. It is not so much 
beeause these faces, now become so dear to me, are sharp- 
ened in outline, and worn with fatigue from the labors 
of the day, and the harrowing experience of the past 
weeks. It is not only the look of that heroism which 
comes of being willing to do or suffer whatever be "God's 
sweet will." But it is the look now superimposed on that 
— the reverential gratitude with which this daily manna 
is received from God^s hand as if He indeed fed them 
with bread from Heaven. It is this that seems to turn 
this humble meal into a sacrament. Could you put all 



I 



SIEGE DAYS 209 

this into your picture ? Xo, it is hopeless for you ever 
to try to paint that look unless you yourself had tasted 
the same spiritual food, and drunk from the same 
spiritual rock, and known for yourself all the daily 
miracles implied in this "We thank Thee, Lord, for 
this our food." 

OUR DEFENDERS. 

Personnel. 

Our soldiers were a veritable Gideon's band. At the 
beginning we had 407 foreign marines, counting all 
nationalities, and they had to defend not only the 
British Legation but all the other Legations, besides the 
palace where the Chinese Christians were. Of course 
the civilians, 100 or so, assisted, but what could 500 
men do against 8,000. — Miss Grace Xewton. 

This devoted little band, reinforced by volunteer 
guards from the Customs and Legation students, held the 
defenses throughout the siege of eight horrible weeks; 
siege that for treachery and demoniacal plots and plans 
on the part of the enemy for the extermination of 
helpless and unarmed men, women and children is with- 
out parallel in history. Too much praise cannot be 
given to the brave men who fought and died for us on 
those stifling days of June, July and August, holding 
what in ordinary warfare would seem an impossible 
position. They nevertheless cheered all who beheld 
them going to their dangerous posts with a courage 
and hearty good-will inspiring to see. Clinging with 
desperation to any advantage they had, fighting to the 



210 SIEGE DAYS 

death for each foot of ground they were forced to meas- 
ure in retreat, dying as bravely as Leonidas, crying 
their comrades on in death. Such were the American 
and other brave boys who held the siege in Peking. In 
the rush attendant upon the relief of the beseiged, it 
seemed that our defenders were for the moment for- 
gotten, but not so. God in heaven has taken account 
of their young lives so heroically given for others, for 
"greater love hath no man than this," and few there are 
who lived through the siege who will not cherish the 
memory of those noble men, while life grants remem- 
brance to them. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

Ground to Be Held. 

We cover territory about 60 acres in extent, of which 
the civilians occupy the least exposed compound. — 
Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Though the people moved out of other Legations into 
the British, soldiers and civilians held the different 
places with few exceptions. The Austrian Legation 
was burned to the ground and had to be abandoned. 
The Belgian and Dutch were burned and abandoned. 
About one-half the French was taken possession of by 
the Chinese, but they were kept out of the other 
half. The Japanese, German, Spanish, Ameri- 
can, Russian and British, though frightfully damaged, 
have never been occupied by the Chinese. — Miss Grace 
Newton. 

The line held by the foreign troops takes in all the 
Legations except the three that were burned, an irregu- 



SIEGE DAYS 211 

lar line of perhaps one-fourth of a mile east and west. 
— Dr. Terry. 

Position Held hy Americans. 

The Chinese fled from a lot of houses between the 
English and Eussian Legations. This gave us a chance 
to make a hole through the south wall of the English 
Legation into these places, and so to the back of the 
Russian Legation, then passing through that and cross- 
ing Legation street, we were at the American Lega- 
tion, and from there we have held the city wall, — a 
section of it. It was of the utmost importance to do this, 
or the Chinese could mount their cannon and throw 
shell over into our midst. Some of the hardest fight- 
ing done by our marines has been done there, and seven 
have lost their lives. At times it seems as if they 
could not hold it. Our missionaries and civilians have 
been with them much of the time, building barricades 
and fighting, and marines of other nationalities have 
helped, but the responsibility has largely come upon the 
Americans and nobly are they standing to their work. 
— Miss J. G. Evans. 

'No pen can ever do justice to the trials endured and 
the heroic stand made by our men on the city wall. 
Some of them had seen service in Cuba and in the 
Philippines, where, when the battle was over, they could 
retire and rest. But here the battle was continuous, 
night and day for a good many days. The peril of their 
situation led some of them to say, "If there is a God, 
where is He ? We need Him now.^' One of the marines 
said to some of the ladies one day, "There are lots of 



212 SIEGE DAYS 

fellows up there now on the wall saying their prayers, 
who have not prayed much before." Someone was 
talking one day with a rough, ignorant fellow who 
seemed to have almost no idea of religion. Finally, he 
said, "Well, I don't know much about church, but there 
is one thing sure, and that is, I am willing to die for 
you." One young man, a college graduate, had made 
himself very popular with the children. They called 
him "Our Friend." One Sunday afternoon he was 
slightly wounded, but narrowly escaped more serious 
injury. When he learned that the children had spe- 
cially remembered him in their little prayer meeting 
that afternoon, he said, "Tell the children their prayers 
saved me." —Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

We had reason to be proud, not only of the post 
held by our gallant captain on the wall, but also of the 
stand he took in the matter of temperance. Soon after 
coming into the English Legation, the captain one day 
stopped one of the missionary ladies and asked her, 
"Can you speak Chinese?" On receiving an affirma- 
tive answer, he asked her help as interpreter. "Now," 
he said, pointing to a Chinaman carrying a huge flask, 
"ask him what he has got there." "Wine," was the 
answer. "It is good for men in war-time." "N"o," 
said the gallant captain, "it is bad enough in time of 
peace, but fifty times worse in time of war;" and the 
good captain saw that the wine was used as a libation 
before he went away. (By the way, more than once 
some one or other of the missionary ladies passing 
to and fro to help the Chinese were constrained to lay 



SIEGE DAYS 213 

the dust on the alley with little rills of samshu, which 
the Chinese had been bringing out of deserted shops.) 

The Japanese. 

Men of almost every nation showed their nobility. 
The Japanese, who so bravely defended our native 
Christians and were so appreciative of the efforts of 
the Christians to assist them, laid upon us a debt of 
gratitude that can only be repaid by admiration. — Mrs. 
Chauncey Goodrich. 

The hearts of all the besieged warmed to these little 
men of great valor, as tales of their doing and daring 
were told here and there through the cosmopolitan com- 
pany within the lines. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

Much might be said of the bravery of the plucky 
little Japs. Though often reinforced by other troops, 
they lost their position little by little, but they always 
had another barricade ready to fall behind when they 
had to retreat, and they succeeded in holding the key 
to our situation on the east. — Miss Lizzie E. Martin. 

The Japanese have so far lost the most men. How 
they have fought ! The plucky, daring little fellows. 
I never admired them until now. I have been helping 
in the hospital, and it has been wonderful to see the 
grit and cheeriness they have. Twenty-five Japanese 
marines came up when the trouble commenced, and now 
only three remain who have not been killed or wounded. 
The Russian and Italian troops have not shown up as 
well as we expected. The Germans lost their position 
on the wall back of their Legation, and have not been 



214 SIEGE DAYS 

able to regain it. The French Legation, French Hos- 
pital, and German Legation have suffered terribly from 
fire, shot and shell. — Miss N. N. Russell. 

A Triple Alliance. 

As on the south our boys held the wall, and on the 
east the little Japs guarded the remnant of the Chinese 
church, so on the north and west England stood againsi: 
the fire and sword of Boxer and soldier. And as these 
three nations were most valiant in siege, so afterwards 
in the rescue they were the foremost in storming the 
gates. It was all prophetic of the China of the future. 
For it was not only the refugee Christians who were 
thus guarded — the three nations were guarding the new 
nation that is to rise, the nation whose God is the 
Lord. If these three nations, the two island kingdoms 
that stand as wings on the right and left of the Eastern 
continent, and the great Western continent republic, 
can safeguard the interests of the land till the praying 
patriots of China have become strong enough and well- 
educated enough to rule the land, then the coming of 
the better day will be like the gradual coming of the 
dawn. If not, it will come with earthquake and cata- 
clysm. But it is coming ! 

The Foe to Be Encountered. 

They call this struggle the Boxer uprising. Had 
it been only that, then even though the Empress Dow- 
ager were really as powerless as she would have the 
world to think, it would have been an easy thing to 
defend ourselves against the Boxers — in fact, there 



SIEGE DAYS 215 

would have been no necessity to leave the Methodist 
fort. These notes by Mrs. Gamewell will prove the con- 
trary. 

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon of June 20, just twenty- 
four hours after the ministers had been ordered to leave 
Peking, the Chinese government troops opened fire upon 
the Legations. 

Chinese troops, under direction of the Empress 
Dowager and her councilors waged war on the Legations, 
meaning to wear out, starve, shoot, burn or blow to 
pieces the representatives of the great powers of the 
earth, and nearly a thousand of their people. Eockets 
seen ascending from the palace signaled "Fire/' and 
every time a storm of bullets raged immediately. When 
the government — ^alarmed as it afterwards transpired 
by the developments at Tientsin — wished to communi- 
cate with the Legations, they ordered firing to cease, 
and it did cease. When the government failed to get the 
hoped-for end, and ordered firing to begin again, firing 
did begin again. 

In one edict, the Empress uses the phrase, ''Let the 
princes and the generals in command of the soldiers co- 
operate with the princes and generals in command of the 
Boxers" — in command by government appointment, of 
course. In another edict the Empress offers rewards to 
^Tier loyal people" the Boxers. — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

From June 20 to July 17 we had daily and nightly 
attacks. Sometimes they lasted for three and four 
hours, and at other times only a half hour; sometimes 
on all sides, and again only on one side. The night 
attacks came between midnight and 2 a. m. Major Con- 



316 SIEGE DAYS 

ger said some of them, for fTirions firing, exceeded any- 
thing he experienced in the Civil War. One night we 
had a terrible thunder shower, and all the time we had 
a furious general attack. The soldiers on the wall 
said it seemed as though all hell had broken loose. — 
Miss N. N. Kussell. 

What It Cost 

Of the 400 brave marines who day and night through 
rain and burning sun had borne the brunt of the de- 
fense, every one of whom had gained the lasting grati- 
tude of the missionaries and Chinese Christians and a 
host of others besides, 60 were killed and 140 wounded. 
Everybody was tired, and hope will sometimes waver 
when the body is tired. However, courage and faith 
never flinched during all those dreadful two months. 
— Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

During the later days of the siege, the poor wounded 
ones began to make their appearance, and we would see 
them lying on long chairs in front of the hospital, or 
wandering feebly around in that neighborhood, men on 
crutches, or with arms in slings — men with heads bound 
up, or who looked as if their noses were pasted on with 
strips of paper. How our heart thrilled at sight of 
them! But alas, not all the wounded thus recovered. 
—A. H. 

The saddest times were when the report would come, 
"A German officer has been injured," "a Eussian soldier 
killed,'^ "an American marine shot through the head," 
"one of the volunteers mortally wounded." The little 
plot of ground in the British Legation set apart as a 



SIEGE DAYS 217 

cemeter}^ filled up rapidh^ and two bodies were often 
pnt in one grave. In one case, three men from three 
different countries, placed in one grave, were all equal 
in the dust at last. — Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

The first Sunday evening of the siege, two of the 
British marines came over and requested a little service 
of song. A company gathered outside the chapel under 
the trees in the darkness. A bright light was not 
allowed, as it would draw the fire of the enemy. One 
of the men stood where the light from the single lantern, 
falling on his face, revealed the expression of joy as he 
sang, 

"Then I shall see Him face to face, 
And sing the story, saved by grace." 

That song was prophetic. Before the summer was 
over, that young man had gone to be with his Lord. — • 
Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

children's corner. 

When we were in the siege of Peking, we lived in the 
chapel with ever so many other people. We slept on the 
floor, and sat on our beds when we ate our meals, 
which weren't very nice. Who would like pony steak 
and moldy rice? Some people ate the horse meat, but 
papa and I couldn't. 

Sometimes, when the shooting was hot and the bullets 
were flying everywhere, the men would tell us to go into 
the chapel, but when we got there, the ladies, who were 
sweeping in a great hurry, so as to work on sand bags, 
would say, "Can't you children run out doors?" So 



218 SIEGE DAYS 

we would run back and forth. We would get tired, and 
then we would go into the bomb-proof trenches and play. 

Once I was struck by a bullet on the ear, but it was 
spent. It was so hot I could hardly hold it in my hand. 
When I showed it to mamma, she hugged me close. — 
Carrington Goodrich. 

Oberlin, Ohio, January 7, 1903. 

(Carrington was five in the siege.) 



THIRD WEEK. 

I. Journals. 

II. Articles. 

Our Wounded and Their Attendants 

Drs. Gloss and Leonard, Miss McKillican and 
others. 
Devotional Exercises. 

Mrs. Fenn, the Misses Wyckojff, Rutherford 
and Brown. 
IIP. Children's Corner. Gardner Tewksbury. 

July 4 — What a queer Fourth of July we passed ! We 
hoped very much that the troops would arrive by that 
day, and Sir Claude promised to celebrate with us Amer- 
icans if our hopes were realized, but again we were dis- 
appointed. Rumors have come that the first party had to 
go back for re-enforcements, and that the larger force 
has not yet started. That means at least another ten days 
of suspense. We all wore badges in honor of the day, 
a red, white and blue bow made out of heavy Chinese 
silk cord. Mrs. Squiers invited all the American chil- 
dren to a little treat. We received souvenirs in the shape 
of cancelled meal tickets, which the Chinese had used. 
In order to be just and not let the lazy ones get out of 
all the work, each man is given a meal ticket after his 
day's work, and if he has no ticket to show, he receives 
no allowance of food. The foreign gentlemen have each 

219 



220 SIEGE DAYS 

ten to twenty Chinese in charge, who work on fortifi- 
cations, and they have to keep a sharp lookout to see 
that none of them run off. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

We had more material brought in to-day, so I have 
given much of the day to making sand-bags. A great 
deal of firing has been going on all day, and we learn 
that one of the girls over at Su Wang Fu was struck 
by a fragment of shell, making a bad wound in her 
knee. Just now Major Conger, our Minister, brought 
over for us to see a copy of the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence, which had been hanging in his study. He took 
it down to read to-day, and found that a bullet had been 
fired through it and lay on the mantle behind it. — 
Miss M. E. Andrews. 

July 4. Yes, and we are here yet. (Kext day.) I 
didn't feel in the mood for writing yesterday, therefore, 
those few words about our Fourth. Wasn't this a 
strange place to celebrate the birthday of our country, 
here at the British Legation? We draped our beauti- 
ful Stars and Stripes up in front of the altar before 
dinner, and had an extra good supper in the evening, 
added some baked canned oysters to our rice and 
bread and butter. We had a most terrible night the 
night before. While I was lying there awake, listen- 
ing to the roar of the cannon, and the crash of the rifle 
shot, I could not help recalling the times on the night 
before the Fourth, when a few firecrackers sent off by 
a crowd of youngsters annoyed me very much; but I 
really am getting so used to the racket, that I can sleep 
through it all, not only because used to it, but in need 



SIEGE DAYS ^21 

of the sleep. So many times as I lie awake these words 
come to me, ^^God is in the midst of her ; she shall not 
be moved," and it helps me to lie still and be at rest. 
These words also, "In quietness and in confidence shall 
be your strength/' mean so much to me now. I can 
often go to sleep with these words in my mind, and take 
the rest I need to keep me well, knowing God in Heaven 
never sleeps. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

July 5 — Sounds of artillery in the distance ! Troops ? 
False alarm. — Miss E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

A large gun inside the Imperial city turned on U3 
during the day. The ammunition used in it proved 
to be old-fashioned, solid shot, such as was used before 
I was born — rough, and could easily burst the guns. 
The Italian gun was turned on it, and soon all the men 
left it and we have not heard it again. Three balls were 
found, two large as eggs, one much larger. — Miss J. 
G. Evans. 

Our life here is indeed queer, and interesting in the 
extreme. I don't believe we shall ever find a more cos- 
mopolitan spot of its size in all the world. — Mrs. H. S. 
Gait. 

July 6 — Cannon balls came from the north, solid balls. 
— Miss E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

The reason of this was afterwards found to be tha 
gun-platform erected behind the Imperial wall. 

July 7 — Mr. Fenn was on the city wall to-day when the 
Chinese fired on our barricade. A brick struck his headj 



222 SIEGE DAYS 

but lie was not severely hurt. Our missionaries are won- 
derfully preserved; only Mr. Eeid has been wounded, 
and he not severely. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

There is a bit of fear in some minds that the reliev- 
ing army have gotten up a fight among themselves. Of 
course there is sure to be some disagreement before the 
settlement and division of China comes to a close, but 
one would think they would postpone it until they re- 
lieve us. We don't much care which nation comes in 
first at present. Welcome even Russia! — Mrs. H. S. 
Gait. 

The Italians are trying with their one-pounder to 
destroy a rifle trench of the enemy, over in the Imperial 
city, but they have only some twenty-five rounds for this 
gun. There is fear the ammunition may not hold out. 
When the marines came up, after getting their guns 
loaded on the train, they were not allowed to take all 
the ammunition they wanted to bring, so, while there 
are cannon, big ones, they cannot be used. This siege, 
and want of things to do with, is bringing out all the 
ingenuity of the soldiers. The English soldiers are 
making ammunition to fit the Italian gun.* — Miss J. 
G. Evans. 

The Russians had ammunition, but their gun was left 
behind for the second contingent of soldiers, who never 
came. In their desperation, our soldiers (not the Rus- 
sians) decided to make a gun out of an old iron pump 
they found. Of course, everyone was very much inter- 

*This was done by melting and recasting the Britannia can- 
dlesticks and incense pots taken from temples. 



SIEGE DAYS ^^3 

ested in the work of transforming the pump into a 

cannon. Captain H , of the British marines, who 

was one of the most experienced officers in the place, 
was then lying in the hospital badly wounded. He was 
sure it would not work, and some one would be hurt 
in the first attempt. — Miss J. C. McKilHcan. 

One of our Chinese carpenters discovered an old, 
rusty cannon lying in a foundry, to which he with others 
had gone in search of bellows and anvil. "Let us take 
this,^' he said. "That heavy old thing? That's no 
good," they answered. "Come brothers, lend a hand," 
he still pleaded; and at last, persuaded by his earnest- 
ness, they carried "the heavy thing" to the Legation. — 
Mrs. Chauncey Goodrich. 

This proved to be an old cannon that had been used 
in the war in '60 with the French and English. 
Great was the rejoicing on the part of all. We felt it 
a special providence in our behalf. They got the can^ 
non over here, found in the Italian Legation an old gun- 
carriage, and mounted it on that. Then the next ques- 
tion was what could be used in it. The Russians then 
let it be known that their machine-gun had been left at 
Tientsin and that they had a lot of shell. They tried 
the shell and it was just what they wanted. Then the 
question was, who would venture to fire her off, thirty 
years and more unused. Mitchell, the American gun- 
ner, said, "I will," and great was the excitement over the 
first shell. Mitchell said afterward he gave up his life 
in thought, for he expected an explosion. Instead, the 
first shell went crashing through three walls and tore 



224 SIEGE DAYS 

a great hole in the barricade at the Imperial city. With 
glasses the captain could see the Chinese running in 
all directions. Great was their astonishment, for they 
knew we had no cannon. This one had been named the 
^^International" (called Betsy by the marines for short) . 
— Miss N. N. Russell. 

So here was the longed-for cannon at last, an English 
cannon, tied to an Italian gun-carriage with Chinese 
rope, using Russian shells refilled with German powder 
(for those same shells were not improved by being 
stored down a well to keep them from falling into the 
hands of the enemy) and then fijed by an American 
gunner, using a Japanese fuse. A French "sight'' on 
the gun would have properly finished its equipment 
and the list of contributing nations, but it was not 
forthcoming. Perhaps it was they who furnished the 
great anti-kicking beam which proved necessary to 
restrain its enthusiasm after each shot. — A. II. 

Do you wonder we named it '^International" ? We are 
all proud of it, but we Americans are prouder still of Mr. 
Mitchell, our American gunner, who seems not to know 
what defeat means in anything he wants to do. I didn't 
believe one of the continental marines could or would 
have made a success of it. We were all, ladies as well 
as others, interested in its first trial, fearing it might 
burst, or at least kill the gunner. It was a rough 
looking thing, tied to the carriage with such ropes aa 
they could get. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

It is now in going-off order. The Japanese come along 
and sa}^, "Do you hear our gun ?" We all claim it, you 



SIEGE DAYS 225 

see, for we are so glad to have it. We call it a success 
even if it did knock down our own barricade one time 
it was fired. You may know from this that big guns 
are very scarce with us. We have but one cannon, an 
Italian one-pounder. They keep it lively, moving from 
one part of the compound to another, and I suppose the 
enemy thinks we have about six of that kind. The 
machine, or Gatling gun, cannot be used except in open 
battle, and of that we have had none at all. They hide 
and shoot at us. If we only could get one of their can- 
non, we could put it to good use, for we know how to 
manipulate good guns, which is more than the enemy 
can say. — Mrs. Gait. 

It worked very well and caused consternation among 
the Chinese. Here we had been all this time under 
siege and never fired a big gun until now. How many 
more, and how large might we have? 

July 8, Sunday — This has been a busy day, but not in 
the same way as the last two Sabbaths have been. No bag 
making to-day ; indeed, no material. I was on as house- 
keeper to-day, so was busy at meal times. After break- 
fast I sat down to prepare for a meeting with the girls ; 
then we had our own English service, a precious prayer 
meeting. Then came the preparation for dinner, and the 
serving and clearing away afterwards for our party of 
thirty-three; and then I went over to Miss Douw's for 
a quiet dinner with their little party of four. It did 
seem good to sit down once more at an orderly, well- 
appointed table. We, with our great crowd and the rush 
to get through, have to make way for the other parties 



226 SIEGE DAYS 

whose meals follow ours, and can do nothing in a home- 
like way. We sit on the chapfel seats or on the platform 
or on the floor, as we can, and often with onr plates in 
our laps. The confusion and rnsh and disorder are rather 
trying, and the food is not always appetizing, but still 
we get on very well, and thus far know nothing of real 
hardship. To-day we have been obliged to shut down 
on butter, condensed milk, and, indeed, all canned 
goods. It is a little absurd, but the only thing I es- 
pecially miss, I mean about meals, is a napkin, for we 
have no table linen; how could refugees have such 
luxuries? — Miss M. E. Andrews. 

We had a Bible reading this afternoon on the ninety- 
first Psalm. How true and real every verse is to us now ! 
Later, there was a quiet song, out in front of the chapel. 
This has seemed more like a real Sunday than for sev- 
eral weeks past, and has been indeed a rest to my heart. 
The ladies do not have to sew, but most of the gentle- 
men are as busy as usual. We had a short service this 
morning, at which a number from the Customs service 
and from our Legation were present. Last night a 
stray shell struck one corner of the chapel, taking ofE 
one of the little ornaments from the roof. These mid- 
night attacks, though generally short, are much worse 
than in the day-time. To be awakened out of a sound 
sleep by a storm of shot and shell is something terrible. 
Several times the big bell has been tolled as the signal 
of a general attack. This, added to the cannonading 
of the enemy and the return fire from our men, makes 
even me shudder. In the day-time there is so much con- 
fusion that one does not always distinguish sounds, but 



SIEGE DAYS 227 

when all else is quiet, these sudden onslaughts are appall- 
ing. It seems as though we must surely be overcome, and 
when a lull comes in the storm, I dream of a Boxer's 
eword poised over my neck. That first night of fierce 
firing I could not help asking myself if I was willing 
to die. I did not feel afraid to die, but I would rather 
live longer. I feared most that Mr. Ewing might be 
killed, and that I should be left alone with the children. 
I tried to be willing for whatever God thought best, 
but prayed that we might not be taken from our dear 
ones at home in such a terrible manner. Now even these 
night attacks have lost much of their terrors. Of course 
I awaken, but often fall asleep again before the firing 
ceases. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

By and by we grew accustomed to the awful sounds; 
but what depressed ever3^one most was the falling off 
of our guards. Before three weeks of siege there were 
sixty in the hospital, and fifty killed or dead from 
wounds. Scarcely a day that they were not carried past 
us, dead, dying or wounded — and never any word of re- 
lief. All relinquished the hope of Admiral Seymour 
and Captain McCaUa. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

The Fu is on fire, and it is thought if we lose it, we 
over here cannot hold out forty-eight hours. God help 
ns! Man cannot. We fired a shell over into the Im- 
perial city to-day. They seemed surprised, thinking no 
doubt, we had none ; but they can be made by soldiers. 
The enemy rose up to see what it was, and our men shot 
many. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

To-day I was commissioned to go and do some profes- 



228 SIEGE DAYS 

sional looting (foraging) for the hospital. The place 
where our girls were quartered was the home of a 
wealthy family who had left without time to remove 
their vast stores of clothing. The house seemed fur- 
nished with clocks and clothing, with an occasional 
cheval glass to reduplicate it all. The clocks we had 
stored in the long sideboard that we were obliged to 
clear off to make a sleeping place for the girls ; some too 
in the beautiful brass-bound teak-wood ice-chest that 
stood in the middle of the room. It was meant to re- 
ceive ice, but no food. Holes in the cover were to im- 
part coolness to the room. (Why aren't we as civilized as 
that ? We have stoves in the winter in our parlors, but 
not ice-boxes in the summer.) The clothing was stored 
in great wardrobes reaching to the ceiling — these and 
piles of trunks, of handsome dark wood, also reaching 
to the ceiling, lined the walls, while two or three im- 
mense camphor-wood chests stood under the windows. 
All these were securely locked. But now, at command 
from headquarters, I, teacher in a Christian school, wag 
to lead my flock in burglary. After a little lecture on 
tlie subject to them, I set to work with a good con- 
science, picking and breaking locks and going through 
everything. 

How glad I was that there was no bric-a-brac lover 
on hand that day! I should not have been able to re- 
strain the hunt to simply fans, cotton or linen garments, 
and piece goods suitable for hospital use or sand-bags. 
Oh, the furs ! And, oh, oh, the embroidered silk and 
satin garments! Everything was most neatly and 
systematically arranged. In the trunk next the ceiling 



SIEGE DAYS 229 

were the men's summer garments, next women's sum- 
mer garments, next men's lined garments for Spring 
and Fall, then women's lined garments — then men's 
wadded garments, then women's wadded garments. These 
are for winter, of course. (Here again, one asks one- 
self the question, are we semi-civilized that we do not 
think it improper to pack men's clothing with women's ?) 
The camphor- wood trunks were for furs, of course; 
but those we did not need to disturb, as by this time we 
knew things were so classified that we should find 
neither linen nor cotton there. Furs are at a discount 
at a siege time in July. — A. H. 

July 9 — Mr. Ewing has been all the morning, from 
seven until noon, superintending the building of a ten- 
foot wall beside the house of the British minister. In 
fact, he did a good share of the brick-laying himself. The 
bricks had first to be torn up from the walks and from 
the flooring of the pavilions. Sir Claude's house is very 
much exposed, and has received a good many shots. 
Last night about 100 Christians were brought over on 
this side and lodged in courts near the American Lega- 
tion. These courts have been seized since we came into 
siege, and the residents sent away. Here our Christians 
are very comfortable, having small courts and houses 
by themselves. Each family is given its supply of food 
raw, and so can cook it to suit themselves. More fam- 
ilies have come to-day, also all the school-girls. There 
were fierce fires all day yesterday, next the Chinese 
quarters across the canal, and it was thought best to re- 
move the people before any imminent danger. The 



230 SIEGE DAYS 

Japanese are rather glad to have the place. — Mrs. C. 
E. Ewing. 

July 10 — The Eussians at the Legation got drnnk and 
let the Chinese dig in under the compound wall last 
night. In the night also the marines came near desertr 
ing the barricades on the city wall. The Eussians were 
going to desert when one of our marines, Fisher, knocked 
one down with a gun and then pointed it at the rest and 
threatened to fire if they did. 

Marine Hall has gone back to duty, though still lame 
from his wound. He is a great favorite with our mis- 
sionary children, who call him "Ladybug" for some rea- 
son. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

We have plenty to eat yet, though the luxuries, milk 
and butter, are very low. Every other day we have one 
meal of mutton, but this can't last. There was a limited 
number of sheep when we began. Horse meat we have 
in abundance; and it is very nice indeed. I eat it 
right along now, since I have gained control of my im- 
agination. Shall I tell you what we had for dinner 
to-day? Horse meat with dumplings and gravy and 
rice; all the bread, both white and whole-wheat, that 
we wanted, and to end up with, we each had a dish 
of canned cherries, four big cherries apiece. If anyone 
had not had enough, he could have some rice with syrup. 
Wasn't that a good dinner? If we had been told 
when we came here four weeks ago, that we should yet 
be here, with only a spark of hope of release at this 
time, I fear it would have been hard not to give 
up in dispair, and it is surely well that we cannot see 



SIEGE DAYS 231 

four weeks into the future. It is hard not to be dis- 
couraged as it is, and I wonder why it is that this should 
come our first summer in Cliina. But when the Lord 
knows, it is all right. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

OUR WOUNDED AND THEIR ATTENDANTS. 

They used to say that the blind beggars of Peking 
could find their way from street to street by their nose, 
each alley and lane having an odor of its own. I have 
my doubts about that, but one thing I can say from 
experience — that in going around the grand boulevard 
in the dark one could thus locate the hospital; an odor 
of carbolic aold and other disinfectants from the sheets 
hung out to dry proclaiming the place. 

"V\Tiatever might be lacking of what is considered 
necessar}^ in surgical wards, it was a great mercy that 
two great essentials were on hand, antiseptics and 
(pardon the juxtaposition) trained women as nurses, 
doctors most of them. 

It would have been no easy task for a sensitive 
woman to serve as hospital nurse among wounded 
men, even with the best physical condition for 
herself. But to undergo all this with the added handi- 
cap of poor food and broken rest, what wonder that 
sometimes when in the morning they would seek their 
hard beds on the floor, they would be overcome with 
fatigue. One of these poor tired sisters was once over- 
heard saying, "When I drop on my mattress I am too 
tired to pray. I just think my friends at home are 
praying for me, and I know that God will hear them, 



232 SIEGE DAYS 

and that He knoTS all about it, and then I joist go to 
sleep." 

The accounts of some of these nurses are given below . 

The refugees from the various Legations and missions 
had scarcely gathered at the English Legation when 
the wounding of several of our defenders made the 
opening of a hospital an immediate necessity. 

A one-story house of six rooms was vacated and 
hasty provision was made for the wounded. The physi- 
cians from the English and German Legations, both of 
whom were military surgeons, were appointed to the 
hospital. A trained nurse from an English mission 
and the sick-berth steward from the English gunboat 
were put in charge. Stewards from other gunboats as- 
sisted, also an American trained nurse and some volun- 
teers from among the ladies. 

The third day, as relief did not come, and the 
wounded were brought in in increasing numbers, a 
call had to be made for more trained help for the wards. 
There were among the besieged about six medical mis- 
sionaries from the different women's hospitals. They, 
at this time, offered their services as nurses and con- 
tinued to work in that capacity throughout the siege. 
Other help was offered as occasion demanded, two French 
Sisters, ladies from the various Legations and missions 
taking their turn as nurses. An English clergyman 
and a gentleman from the Customs, whose wounds 
unfitted them for guard duty helped in the hospital 
as honorable stewards, giving most tender care to the 
sufferers. 

The diet kitchen was given into the charge of Miss 



SIEGE DAYS 233 

Abbie Chapin, with several American ladies to assist 
her. This was one of the most fortunate appointments. 
Though the best of stores were always furnished for 
the hospital, it was still the daily wonder of all who 
knew anything about it, to see what palatable meals 
were served out of the insufficient supplies that were on 
hand. American housekeeping was at a premium. 
Fancy a diet kitchen without eggs, butter or milk, with 
no fresh vegetables or fruit. Mutton was occasionally 
served to the sick, but most of the time horse meat had 
to be used. The bread was coarse, but the rice sent to 
the hospital was good. A small stock of canned fruit 
and vegetables, arrowroot, macaroni, crackers and 
bottled candy, with tea and coffee, was the supply from 
which this wonder-working committee served palatable 
and varied meals to fifty patients, more or less. 

There was a continual call on the bulletin board for 
donations of mattresses, pillows, linen and hospital sup- 
plies. These were furnished largely by the ladies of, 
the Legations, who had not lost their household goods. 
Some of them went without mattresses and mosquito 
nets that the patients might be supplied. 

The hospital was at no time a cheerful place. The 
veranda was walled up with sand-bage to the top of the 
windows and all the exposed windows were closed in 
the same way to within a foot of the top. 

One room was given up to the officers and civilians, 
and cots were furnished for these unless the number 
of officers was in excess of the number of cots, when 
they also slept on the floor as did most of the men. 
The beds were so crowded on the floor that only a nar- 



334 SIEGE DAYS 

row passage was left between them. This, with the sea 
of mosquito nets over head, and the necessity of stooping 
almost to the floor, gave one a dizzy feeling when waiting 
upon the patients. The difficulty of ventilating rooms 
so shut in and so crowded can be imagined. The only 
consolation was that the air outside was so hot and 
so vile that it could not be much worse inside. 

There were many difficulties in the way of a well- 
ordered hospital. The supply of everything was short, 
even after everyone had been self-denying in their gen- 
erosity. The patients were all wounded men, the sup- 
ply of absorbent dressings was very small ; of rubber pro- 
tectives there were almost none. When the mattresses 
and pillows became blood soaked, there was nothing to 
do but wash them off as well as possible, and use them 
again, as there were no others to take their place. The 
supply of proper sheets and pillow cases being inade- 
quate, they were made up hastily out of any material 
-that could be spared from the sand-bags. Coarse, thin 
Chinese cotton covered one patient while his neighbor 
looked down on an expanse of slippery shining damask. 
As one patient remarked, "In this hospital it is every 
man his own table-cloth." Two dinner napkins made a 
cover for a feather pillow. A beautiful embroidered 
linen pillow case did duty on a pillow made of the 
straw bottle-covers. 

However dark and dull the rooms might be, there was 
no lack of color or variety in the dress of the patients. 
Shirts were made of muslin, silk, damask, or gorgeously 
printed Chinese cottons. A large order of sewing for 
the hospital was so frequently sent to Mrs. Conger and 



SIEGE DAYS 235 

filled with such dispatch by herself and the ladies of 
her household, that she came to be known as the Fairy 
God-Motlier. In many a time of need, the best way 
was to '^go and tell Mrs. Conger." 

The want of medical supplies was not so easily man- 
aged. Abundance of medical stores were destro3^ed 
at the different mission hospitals. But the besieged 
had only the small stock kept in the Legations for the use 
of foreigners and a few things that had been for sale 
at the foreign store, destroyed during the siege. 

At first the most approved surgical dressings were 
to be had, then bags of peat and finally, bags of sawdust 
served as dressings. At first bandages were used with a 
lavish hand, but before the close of the siege they had 
to be washed and do duty more than once. The small 
stock of the drugs most useful became pitifully small. 
The last bottle of chloroform was opened. No one can 
be fully impressed with the perishable nature of the 
hypodermic needle until he is obliged to use it many 
times every day with the knowledge that the last needle 
that can be procured from an}^here is in his hand. 

The confusion of tongues was an embarrassment to 
say the least. One needed to know most of the lan- 
guages of Europe, besides Chinese, Japanese and one 
of India's dialects to be equal to every emergency. 
When possible, men of one nationality were put in the 
same room that they might be company for each other, 
but even then several languages were spoken in every 
room. Often the sign language was the only one that 
could be understood. 

With the exception of the faithful old Chinese cook, 



236 SIEGE DAYS 



n 



the servants when wanted were usually conspicious by 
their absence. The most evanescent of all were the men 
sent to pull the one punka, that rendered the officers' 
ward more endurable. One night, after having herself 
pulled the punka for an hour rather than have the pa- 
tients suffer, the nurse had to go to the American minis- 
ter's house at midnight, call him up and ask him to go to 
the corridor where the committee on Chinese labor slept, 
wake up the committee and ask them to send another 
man to pull the punka for the rest of the night. 

The nights were at first a terror filled with visions of 
the wounded sufferers that would be added to our charge. 
But when morning came and no new patients were re- 
ported we could sleep and let the bullets sing on, since 
they were not hurting our people. Night at the hospital 
was a dreary time, notwithstanding the pot of strong 
coffee kindly sent every evening by Mrs. Squiers to cheer 
the long hours for the nurses. No lights were allowed, 
for fear of attracting the attention of the enemy. The 
attendants worked by the light of small lanterns which 
were so covered with dark cloth that only a ray of light 
shone forth. When not in use these even were placed 
on the floor with their faces against the wall. ISTot- 
withstanding the smothering protection of sand-bags 
and darkness, a bullet occasionally came whistling 
through the front door down the length of the hall 
over the beds of the patients lying on the hall floor. 

The men were brave, patient, uncomplaining, but 
rarely hopeful. Other people might talk and plan for 
the coming of the troops; not so the hospital. The 
wounded lamented, being deprived of their guns, spoke 



SIEGE DAYS 237 

more often of the fear of falling iinarmed into the 
hands of the Chinese, who seemed like demons to them, 
and the officers were burdened with anxious foreboding. 

Before the end of the siege a room had to be taken 
in another house for medical cases. The fevers that 
prostrated so many after relief came had already begun 
their ravages among the soldiers. 

The plague of flies made all miserable and added 
new difficulties to the care of the sick. When we com- 
plained, the surgeon quietly remarked: "They always 
follow an army." That put a new aspect on aifairs. 
In a military hospital one might not complain of any- 
thing that belonged to the army. 

The daily adjusting between the civil and military 
went on with remarkably little friction. The steward, 
who was an independent factor on his gunboat, learned 
to work with women of varied degrees of training and 
of many nationalities. They in turn came to know 
what he considered his work and what was an indignity. 
Doctors worked under the authority of nurses. The 
wives of diplomats cared most tenderly for men who 
in their suffering were sometimes difficult to please. 
All hearts were controlled by one desire, to give every 
possible help and comfort to the brave men who were 
giving their lives in the defense of men, women and 
children unknown to them. All rejoiced together when 
the wounds were slight or when the desperately ill 
began to recover. All hearts ached with . sympathy for 
the weary sufferers who wore out the siege week after 
week on beds of pain. 

When the bodies of the dead were lowered to their 



238 SIEGE DAYS 

resting place all united with the Chinese Christian 
student who dug the graves, both in his tears and in 
his words, when he wept and said : "I can endure any 
other suffering or pain but that these brave men should 
be killed by my people." Miss A. D. Gloss, M. D. 

The International Hospital was not a regularly 
equipped institution with all the modern appliances and 
conveniences. It was the Chancery Building of the 
British Legation, with office furniture and books re- 
moved from one room after another till they were heaped 
in almost hopeless confusion in a very limited space and 
every available inch of space was given over to sick and 
wounded humanity. We overflowed into an adjoining 
Secretarial home which was serving as temporary abode 
for several families and a varying number of British 
marines who occupied the upper floor and had look-out 
stations on the upper veranda. A second overflow for 
convalescents was established in Sir Claude McDonald's 
private library. (This was personally superintended by 
Lady MacDonald.) 

The surgeons in charge of the Hospital were Dr. Pool 
of the British Legation and Dr. Yelde of the German 
Legation. The number of trained nurses in the city 
was very limited. One of these, Miss Lambert of the S. 
P. G. Mission and nurse to the British Legation, was 
placed in charge. As need arose, other trained nurses, 
women physicians and other women were added to the 
force till soon a goodly corps was occupied with the care 
of the sick and wounded. 

Mattresses, pillows, sheets, pillow cases, towels and 



SIEGE DAYS 239 

mosquito nets were freely donated by Legation ladies, 
ajid where missionary ladies were possessed of such arti- 
cles they cheerfully contributed their little store. No- 
thing we had was too good for our brave men wounded in 
our defense. Very few bedsteads graced our rooms, but 
the floor made a good substitute here in the hospital as 
well as in every house in the Legations. Bed linen and 
clothing was made of varying materials, bleached and un- 
bleached muslin, linen, even to the finest damask, and 
pongee silk. Windows were robbed of lace curtains to 
make up deficiencies in the supply of mosquito nets. 
When we ran short on feather and down pillows, cotton 
and straw ones were substituted. Surgical dressings 
were rapidly exhausted and must be supplied from ma- 
terial on hand. As materials for sand-bags were 
brought in from districts where fire had been 
started by the enemy with the unvarying result that 
the territory was captured by the foreigner, hospital 
helpers eagerly scanned them and chose from the heap 
that which would be of service to the wounded. Our 
ministers' wives were most untiring in their efforts to 
supply our needs, and never did we appeal to them in 
vain. 

We went into siege in the British Legation on June 
20, and on June 22 regular night service was begun in 
the hospital. The service here was in many waya 
unique. ISTurses limited in linguistic attainments were 
serving English, American, German, French, Austrian, 
Italian, Japanese, Russian, Dutch, Indian and for a 
time Chinese men. Later we became so crowded that a 
separate and special work was done for the Chinese. 



240 SIEGE BAYS 

With most remarkable facility did patient and nurse 
communicate ideas, and it was surprisingly easy to 
serve men of whose tongue one understood not a word. 
In those days a word or two of English spoke volumes, 
and there was much that was original in the sign lan- 
guage which one instictively used. Care was taken to 
place men of the same tongue near together, so that 
some of the many hours might be whiled away in pleas- 
ant conversation and that sympathies might be ex- 
changed. 

In the International we knew no luxuries and no 
modem conveniences. Soon our surgical dressings were 
exhausted, and ordinary Chinese cotton, muslin, linen, 
silk and sawdust were sterilized and used. Our supply 
of thermometers gradually dwindled till it became quite 
a chore to take temperatures with the remaining few. 
Hypodermic needles became so blunted that one hesi- 
tated to use them. Antiseptics were used with great 
care and economy. An inexhaustible supply of coal, an 
unfailing supply of water and a most faithful and de- 
voted Chinese cook warranted a free use of boiled water. 
But when by night the "rains descended and the floods 
came" we sometimes found it necessary to construct a 
temporary bridge to maintain connections with our 
source of supply, which was separated a little from the 
main building. 

'N"o electric light or gas plant supplied our illumina- 
tion, and even such old fashioned things as the kerosene 
lamp and tallow candles were under the ban. To illu- 
minate our buildings meant to furnish target points for 
the enemy's guns, and so we preferred darkness to light. 



SIEGE DAYS 241 

It was rather weird to walk about those overfilled 
wards, to the music of shot and shell, in the narrow 
way left between the pallets on the floor. The windows 
and veranda walls were heaped high with sand bags and 
even on moonlight nights, which we hailed with joy, 
only a limited portion of light could enter. A lamp 
burning low, placed in a corner and surrounded by a 
screen, was kept in the surgery ready for instant use 
when the wounded men were brought in. Small lan- 
terns blinded on three sides were kept face to the wall 
like naughty children, in obscure corners, and brought 
out when a light was found to be Indispensable. And 
what vexing things these lanterns were ! How, placed in 
their little corners, they did not shine as they should, but 
seemed to become asphyxiated, and smoked and went 
out ! "What a search we had for them some nights, and 
how anxious we were lest they should absolutely refuse 
to work. Candles and matches were kept at hand for a 
sudden emergency, and often were called to duty. 

One of the first nights on duty, a nurse had charge of 
German and Eussian patients in one room, in another 
of a German and an Italian. The latter were mortally 
wounded men, and really needed constant attention to 
keep them quiet and supply their demand for water. 
Great strong, brave men, with magnificent physiques, 
wounded to death ! An Italian orderly was left on duty 
with his Italian brother, but a reclining steamer chair 
proved too tempting to the over-weary man, and in 
spite of his best efforts, sleep would descend upon him. 
The nurse's knowledge of Italian was nil till she caught 
the term for water, and her once slight knowledge of 



212 SIEGE DAYB 

German had been largely lost in the acquisition of Chi- 
nese. The enemy kept up a very heavy firing that night, 
and it was with great difficulty that the two rooms could 
be cared for, as a call could scarcely be heard from one 
to the other. Shortly after midnight, a sudden change 
came over the Italian, and the orderly was quickly 
roused, in the hope that he might take a last message 
and speak a word in a familiar tongue. Like a shot he 
was out of the room and the nurse was alone with the 
two fast dying men, and unable to speak intelligibly 
with either. Just as the Italian passed away the orderly 
arrived breathless, with an Italian priest and a friend 
whom he had hastened to call when he saw the end so 
near. A short service was held, and at the close the 
friend looked up at the nurse and asked ^Tinish?" and 
was answered, "Yes, finish," and the dead was borne 
from the room to be wrapped in the flag of his country 
for burial. Before the morning dawned the brave Ger- 
man lay wrapped in the German flag beside his Italian 
brother. Days of siege were days when differences of 
creed and nation were forgotten and we truly felt that 
God had made of one blood all the nations of the earth. 
The brotherhood of man was shining upon us, and gen- 
uine sorrow filled our hearts as brave men fell about us. 
One of our American marines fell on the wall, and 
as the grave was being prepared in the Russian Legation 
one of the Eussian marines was assisting. When an 
American offered to take his place the Russian refused, 
saying, ''I with him on the wall. He my brother," and 
continued at the task till it was completed, and assisted 
in placing *Tiis brother" to rest. 



SIEGE DAYS 243 

One night in the midst of the roar of Chinese guns 
a number of mules in the compound broke loose and 
stampeded to the Hospital area, and it seemed some- 
times that they would walk in the very doors in spite of 
efforts to keep them away. In the midst of their career- 
ing about they came upon a cart a short distance in 
front of the Hospital. Now this cart had been pre- 
empted as a roost by a few very precious chickens which 
some thoughtful and far-sighted member of the Eus- 
sian Legation had brought into siege with him. If the 
cackling of hens had had a like happy effect upon the 
situation in Peking that the cackling of geese had upon 
Rome, relief might have come that night. But the 
noise and confusion served but to disturb weary and 
wounded men. These same chickens deserve no small 
amount of praise; for the precious eggs they gave us 
were instrumental in saving the lives of some of our 
sick. How very wonderfully we were provided for ! 
More and more do we marvel at it, as we look back on 
those trying days, and thank Him Who had us in His 
care. 

Little can one who has never borne arms realize what 
it means to a man on duty to be wounded, borne from 
his post and shut up in a hospital. What must it have 
meant to the brave men who defended the British Lega- 
tion in the summer of 1900 ! Too well they knew how 
few in number our force was, and they knew too some- 
thing of the strength of the enemy. For well they knew 
the long hours of duty that had been theirs, and yet of 
necessity was it so and they shrank not from it. To be 
wounded and off duty, to leave other men to a most 



244 SIEGE DAYS 

overwhelming task, to lay aside gun and belt when not 
a man conld be spared, to lie quietly and patiently in 
bed during the awful fusillades of the enemy when it 
seemed that at any moment they might burst upon us, 
this indeed was hard. It was difficult sometimes to keep 
the men from rushing forth to the assistance of their 
comrades. Again and again the nurses stopped wounded 
men as they were about to go forth to the fight, and 
persuaded them that all would be well without their 
assistance. During the incessant firing of the last night 
of the siege, the American gunner who had had so much 
to do with the construction and firing of our Interna- 
tional Gun, or "the Betsy," was brought in with a shat- 
tered elbow. How hard it was for him to yield his place 
in the firing line! He would go back! he must go 
back ! The hospital was a very cage to him. How our 
sympathy went out to him ! To be wounded in the very 
sight of victory ! It was not for a night or two that this 
brave gunner left his gun, but for life. A Chinese bul- 
let in a right elbow, and a man unfitted for service ! 
How sad the records of 1900 ! 

Our Japanese ward was a very interesting one, and 
one in which the sign language was very popular. The 
men always seemed cheery and happy, at least smiling 
no matter how bad their pain. One morning as the 
nurse stepped to the door, the first call after daylight, 
she was horrified to see a man who had received very 
serious head and face injuries, sitting up, smiling at 
her with what remained of his face, which was divested 
of all bandages. With a gesture she demanded "where 
are your bandages ?" and the man, smiling, pointed to a 



SIEGE DAYS 245 

little heap at the side of his pallet and indicated that 
they had been too tightly drawn to suit him, and so he 
had calmly removed them. Much to his amusement and 
that of his fellows, he was borne off to the surgery to 
have fresh dressings applied. One of the men who had 
a very painful injury, and who had learned the value 
of ^^medicine in the arm," fearing lest his moans might 
prove unavailing with the night nurse, and being unable 
to plead save in an unl^nown tongue, had a friend who 
had a very slight knowledge of English prepare him a 
note. This note was prepared by day, and presented 
about eleven o'clock at night and set forth that the pa- 
tient had "a very bad pain" and would the nurse please 
give him ^^some medicine in his arm." 

One night after a fearful fusillade a brave man called 
the nurse to his bedside, and in the delirium of typhoid 
confided to her that he had heard the heavy firing and 
had gotten into the middle of his bed. He thought that 
would be as safe a place as any he could find. The 
nurse was grateful to the enemy's guns for driving him 
there, for he had long lain perilously near the edge. 

One night to the hurried and anxious call of "nurse, 
nurse," the nurses went in in the dark to learn what 
was wanted. "Nurse, there is a chap that comes and 
sits on my bed and I am afraid he'll steal my Bible. 
Won't you please put it under my pillow ?" This from a 
fearfully wounded man, one of the few septic cases, and 
the nurse instantly thought, "Poor fellow, his mind 
wanders, he is not long for this world." She replied, 
"Oh, don't be uneasy, no one will steal your Bible." 
"But, nurse, won't you put it under my pillow?" Se- 



246 SIEGE DAYS) 

cretly vowing she would if she coald find it in the dark 
she endeavored to quiet his fears as she silently searched 
for the little book. "But, nurse, it's a very little thing I 
ask of you/' and the Bible was found and slipped under 
the pillow, the patient urged to rest and sleep. By and 
by the nurse was in again and the man with the head 
wound who should have been lying on the pallet just by 
the door was gone! She glanced about the rodm and 
discovered, still in the dark, that he had chosen a bed 
across the room, fortunately an unoccupied one, and had 
thrown himself across it. This then was the "chap" 
who was sitting on the people's beds and whom it was 
feared might steal Bibles, and the man who had called 
out for protection was not so delirious after all. The 
firing was so heavy that night that it was impossible to 
hear footsteps unless in the room, so an orderly was 
brought and placed on special duty to guard not Bibles 
but the beds of the wounded. 

After the siege had been in progress some weeks, a 
"punka" was arranged in one of the wards where there 
was special need for it. To keep that moving all night 
was sometimes a task. Two or three Chinese would be 
detailed for duty. Perhaps the man on second watch 
would fail to appear, or may have been appointed to 
more tasks than one that night. Nurses must not only 
keep awake themselves, but must keep punka men 
awake. The man was stationed a little distance oS the 
veranda outside the wall of sand bags, inside when occa- 
sion demanded. Many were the sleepy pulls that rope 
had. When the second man failed to put in an appear- 
ance, the nurse sometimes went in search of him, vainly 



SIEGE DAYS 247 

hoping that he might be sleeping in some of the Chinese 
carts near by. In the dark she peered into these carts, 
and now came upon the chicken roost, much to her dis- 
may and the alarm of the chickens. Sometimes the 
punka man prudently left his post while the nurse was 
occupied in the rear of the hospital. Then the nurse 
might pull the punka rope, care for three wards and a 
surgery, and make occasional trips to the convalescent 
ward in a dwelling near by. She tried to do her duty 
by them all, but was more or less embarrassed by the 
situation. 

Those days and nights are da3^s and nights never to 
be forgotten, lights full of strange experiences, under 
peculiar circumstances. Bravely our defenders fought 
for us and nobly they suffered. Ever will our hearts be 
full of gratitude to those who strove and suffered for 
us the summer of 1900. — Miss E. E. Leonard, M. D. 

I shall never forget one Sunday after the fighting be- 
gan. I was in the hospital, and wounded were being 
carried in, while the smoke and ashes nearly blinded 
us. The bullets flew everywhere, knocking down plaster 
and bits of tile. A shell struck the ground near the hos- 
pital, where horses were tied under the trees, and killed 
one. I had seen pictures of wounded men and dying 
horses, but you realize more what a dreadful thing war 
is when you see the reality. As we went about among 
the patients that day, it seemed as though the end must 
be near, but we were so busy we gave little thought to 
personal danger. Indeed all through those two months 
we were kept wonderfully free from fear. I had had a 
feeling of fear and dread quite often when I was alone in 



248 SIEGE DAYS! 

the coTintry, never sure what minute something might 
happen, and it was a great comfort and relief when I 
got to the Legation with the others, where if we were 
killed we would be likely to be killed outright, and not 
fall into the hands of ruffians. 

One of our great trials was that we were not allowed 
to have a light at night. The enemy was very near, 
some of them up in trees, and a light made a target 
for those sharpshooters. Can you imagine how incon- 
venient it was in the hospital to be in almost total dark- 
ness? We had lanterns with black cloth wrapped 
around and a little hole left to shed a few rays of light. 
The wounded had to have their beds on the floor — most 
of them, at least, — and the greater number could not 
speak English. In the daytime they made their wants 
known by signs and all kinds of pantomime, and we 
could easily have some idea of what they wanted. But 
by night we often had to go to a room in total dark- 
ness, and carefully grope our way among the beds on 
the floor, trying to be careful not to stumble over broken 
limbs and battered heads, doing what we could for these 
poor suffering men — most of them mere boys. Very 
often the noise of the big and little guns was so loud 
we could not hear even those who spoke English and we 
had to shout into each other's ears when we tried to 
speak. 

Doors and windows had to be protected with brick 
walls and sand bags, and the lack of air in the hospital 
is trying. I felt so sorry for the patients I often wished 
the &and bags away, thinking it better to run the risk 
of balls and shells ; but when a bullet struck a bag beside 



SIEGE DAYS 249 

me, I was glad there was something to ward it off. We 
did not have sand, only earth, and some of our soldiers 
were killed by bullets that must have passed through the 
bags. — Miss Janet McKillican. 

This soldiers' hospital was a new departure for us all. 
We realized the cruelty of war more clearly than we 
could had we not worked there and seen great, strong, 
perfectly healthy men dying, day after day. We had 
soldiers of eight nations there. — Miss Maud Mackey, 
M. D. 

In addition to the ladies who served as nurses, a num- 
ber more helped in serving the meals. The difficulties 
attendant on cooking for the wounded certainly re- 
quired just such a superintendent as was found for it. 
To make appetizing meals from such limited materials, 
to suit the appetites of men who had nothing to do but 
to lie and dream of what a nice meal mother could get 
up for them if they were home, certainly was no easy 
task. Furthermore, remember that these men came 
from all nationalities. If they were simply Americans 
or English, it might be easy to manage. But when they 
are Eussian and Mongolian (that is to say Japanese) 
and Prussian, to say nothing of Italians and French- 
men, how is one to know how to arrange the bill of fare 
so as to tempt every palate? And add to this the fact 
that these meals must be prepared in a tiny kitchen 
over a range in one corner, no larger than a camping- 
out wash stand. But the food was cooked, and nicely, 
too ; the limited means to do with being so varied by ap- 
petizing ways of cooking that the menu did not seem 
so simple after all. For instance, there were among the 



250 SIEGE DAYSi 

kitchen stores several bottles labeled "Ten Thousand," 
bright colored comfits smaller than the smallest homeo- 
pathic pills. This was served up as trimmings to many 
a dish, and the varied forms in which it would appear 
caused it to be hailed as an old friend in a new dress 
every time it made its appearance. The food was all 
made ready in a sewing room at the back, and then as 
the ladies issued with their trays to the different wards, 
and as each lady, ducking under the mosquito net 
strings, bent lower still to give to the boys on the floor 
their dessert, one could hear a laugh and an exclama^ 
tion going up from all the wards — the laugh much the 
same from all wards — the exclamation, however, being 
different, from the "Ach, lieber Freund, Zehn Tausend" 
of the German to the — ^but I would not know how to 
spell it even if I remembered what it sounded like in 
Japanese or Russian. Those dear little Japanese were 
very jolly and easy to please anyway. Everybody liked 
to wait on them. 

DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES. 

Public Services. 

I have often wished that some one who attended morn- 
ing prayers in the chapel would write a new commentary 
on the Psalms in the light of our siege experiences. As 
I now recall it, seldom was any scripture except the 
Psalms read at those gatherings, and how wonderfully 
they seemed to fit our circumstances and needs. The 
91st Psalm was a special revelation to the besieged ; the 
94th spoke the natural and instinctive language of our 
own hearts. We came to understand and appreciate the 



SIEGE DAYS 251 

Imprecatory Psalms even, as had been impossible for 
us before. Two hymns became particularly familiar to 
us at those meetings and will always be fuller of mean- 
ing for it. "The Son of Grod goes forth to War'^ and 
"Peace, perfect Peace." Full of comfort were those 
morning devotions — full of interruptions though they 
were — ^the ^retting of little children, the clatter of 
dishes, the hum of the sewing machines making endless 
sand-bags, and the constant coming and going. Those 
who must, worked; those who could, sang and prayed; 
but we all worshipped and were helped. Very uncon- 
ventional it certainly was, as we sat around on boxes, or 
tables, on rolls of bedding, most of the mothers on their 
mattresses on the floor tending the little ones, the small 
boys and girls usually ranged on the altar steps. We 
tried to fix up the room for the Sunday service, but it 
was not possible to do much. Beds and dishes were al- 
ways in evidence; clothing hung around the front and 
over the reading desk ; sponges and wash cloths hung in 
the windows to sun, and various devices for mosquito 
netting, ranging from cheese cloth to lace curtains, hung 
at intervals — a protection, if you happened to have one, 
from the swarms of flies that descended upon us at the 
first dawn of light. But who believes that the place was 
desecrated by all these things? We felt no incongruity 
between the unsightly array of dishes on the altar and 
the beautiful paintings of Our Lord which looked down 
on it from above. But rather the verse came into our 
minds, "The sparrow hath found an house, and the 



252 SIEGE DAYS 

swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, 
even thine altar, Lord of Hosts." — Mrs. Conrtenay 
H. Fenn. 

Little Prayer Circles in the Darlcness. 

"My God is any hour so sweet. 
As that which calls me to thy feet — 
The hour of prayer." 

Such was, and will always he, the feeling of a few 
who spent two months in the English Chapel in the 
siege of Peking. It seemed to be the necessity of the 
hour, and the consciousness of the presence of Him who 
alone is "our refuge and strength, a very present help 
in time of trouble," which drew us thus near to each 
other and to Him. It was a little space, this meeting 
spot, between two church seats, on the floor, but half a 
dozen of us could sit there easily, and speak of any heart 
burden and lay it upon God in prayer. It was sweet to 
pour out our hearts and know that one who was above 
all knew all about us and our needs. 

Weary with the day's noise and confusion and work 
of so many kinds, we were to go into nights which had 
in them, we knew not what, except terror and fear. 
Night was made hideous by those dreadful attacks, and 
the thought of possible rushes by the enemy, retreats 
into bomb-proof cellars, or an attempt to escape, or it 
might be massacre, all these could but make one shrink 
from the hours of darkness. The often lighted heavens, 
lurid with the fire all around, caused fear and trembling, 
the heavy firing of cannon made us anxious for our 
men on the wall, the handful defending us so bravely. 
How could one of them be spared ? How dreadful to think 



I 



SIEGE DAYS 253 

of them being picked off duty in a moment's notice, and 
called to their account! Among the native Christians 
little ones were dying, and we feared lest disease spread 
and epidemic prevail in their quarters. Some of our 
own members were weak and weary, and babies were 
drooping, so that it seemed as if they must succumb, as 
a few did, to the unfavorable and trying circumstances ; 
hospital cases with severe wounds or fevers caused 
those who so faithfully gave themselves to that work 
many anxious hours, and for the physicians and nurses 
and assistants, as well as for those who had charge of 
the culinary department, we could but seek help from 
above for each and all. There were a few critical days 
or nights when to take a gun, to make a rush on the 
enemy, or to take a fortified position, was the one im- 
portant thing. The zig-zag path leading to our position 
on the wall had to be made by night, often when heavy 
firing was on, and not only native Christians risked 
their lives in this work, but some foreigners also had to 
be with them overseeing their work; hence we prayed, 
if God will, morning might still find our numbers un- 
broken, and families still one on earth, even in those 
strange conditions. Again the thought of the hundreds 
of terrified Christians, scattered, fleeing, suffering, we 
knew not what, and the ever-returning question how it 
all was to end, when we could take up the work again, 
these and many other things pressed upon us daily, and 
60 it was that the evening hour found us thus drawing 
near to the Throne of Grace, finding ^'grace to help in 
time of need." Did our loved ones seem very far from 
us? Well it was, perhaps, that we did not then know 



254 SIEGE DAYS 

of the intense anxiety and suspense at home ; even then 
we could sing in onr hearts : 

"Peace, perfect peace with loved ones far away, 
In Jesus' keeping we are safe and they." 

— E. a. Wyckoff. 

Songs in the Night. 

Many a prayer meeting was held in our room, and 
precious indeed is its memory. In times of bombard- 
ment, when the shells were falling in our midst, again 
and again we went before the Lord in prayer and 
asked Him to direct their fall and protect us. He was 
our refuge in every time of trouble, and we learned to 
lean harder on Him. 

The night before relief came to us, we had a most 
violent attack from the enemy's guns. We sat together 
in our room in silence, for the noise of guns was so 
great we could not be heard in conversation. One of 
our number proposed our kneeling in silent prayer, 
which we did, and after a time arose and sang "Jesus 
Lover of My Soul," our voices rising above the noise of 
guns. 

How real our God made Himself to us those days ! 
Erom Him alone came the perfect rest from all fear, 
and the calm resignation to His will, come what would > 
and from the depths of our heart we can say, "God is 
our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, 
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of 
the sea ; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled. 



SIEGE DAYS 255 

though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." 
Psalm 46 :1, 2, 3.— Hattie E. Eutherford. 

One of the many scripture texts which I always as- 
sociate with the Peking siege is found in Psalm 145 :7 : 
"They shall abundandly utter the memory of Thy great 
goodness and shall sing of Thy righteousness." 

Xone but the Lord Himself can ever fully understand 
how our lives have been enriched and strengthened by 
the trials we passed through during those weeks of peril, 
how He made His word to be more precious to us than 
ever before, and how we were drawn to Him in prayer 
and supplication, not forgetting the thanksgiving, as 
He tells us in Phil. 4.6 : "In nothing be anxious ; but in 
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiv- 
ing let your requests be made known unto God." 

Those who have passed through a similar experience 
can understand how blessed it is to be able to say, at all 
times, "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and 
not be afraid." (Isa. 12:2.) 

When wakened in the night by the terrific sound of fir- 
ing, with the enemy so near it would seem as though 
they were ready to rush in upon us at any moment — 
then to lie still upon our bed and look up, how com- 
forting to know : "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 
whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in 
Thee." (Isa. 26:3.) 

Yes, "The word of the Lord is tried ; He is a buckler 
to all them that trust in Him." Praise His holy name ! 

We have been rejoiced to hear the testimony of those 
who were with us during that time : "The word of the 
Lord and prayer mean more to us than ever before." 



256 SIEGE DAYS 

Through all eternity we shall praise and adore Him for 
the trials which He used in bringing such rich blessing 
to our souls. 

Near the beginning of the siege a dear servant of God 
came in one day, and Miss Douw invited him to read 
and pray with us. He turned to the 140th Psalm. As 
he read the 7th verse I was greatly impressed by the 
words, ^^Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle." 
This came to mind very often afterwards, and now as I 
think of the many narrow escapes while balls and bul- 
lets were falling all around us, surely we must praise 
the Lord that His word was literally fulfilled before our 
eyes. I recall one day when Miss Eutherford came in 
and told us a piece of shell had just struck her hat as 
she was passing through the court, also Mr. Fenn's nar- 
row escape when his hat was struck by a brick-bat upon 
the wall. 

Well may we unite in praising the Lord when we 
remember, "Thou hast covered my head in the day 
of battle." 

A friend I met in New York after my return home 
said to me, "One great desire of my heart for you dur- 
ing that time was that you might be kept quiet from 
fear of evil." 

I said to her : "Your prayer was answered. Your de- 
sire was fulfilled." 

No doubt there are many who would tell us the same 
if we could see them. 

Now as the dear children of God who were praying 
for us, and we who were so marvelously delivered, all re- 




MISS AMY E. BROWN. 





MISS M. E. ANDREWS. 



MISS HATTIE RUTHERFORD. 



SIEGE DAYS 257 

joice together, may we truly magnify the Lord, and 
exalt His holy name. 

"Our help is in the name of the Lord." — Amy E. 
Brown. 

children's corner. 

We started in the night from Tungcho and left a dish 
of strawberries on the table, and the lights burning too. I 
wanted to take my little dog with me, but my mamma 
wouldn't let me. We arrived in Peking in the morning 
about 7 o'clock, at the M. E. Mission, Hsiao Shun Hu 
Tung. We stayed there twelve days and then went to 
the English Legation. We stopped on our way at the 
U. S. Legation, where Mrs. Squiers kindly invited us all 
to lunch at her house. That very afternoon they be- 
gan firing on us. 

From the very beginning to the end of the siege we 
ate horse and mule meat. I sometimes went to see the 
horses killed. Once I went part way from the chapel to 
the wall which our soldiers were firing from, and a bul- 
let fell about twelve feet from me, and a man who was 
on the porch of a house near by said something like: 
"You better look out or else you will be killed." 

I was not afraid, but just at night, and I wanted to go 
out in the daytime, but my mamma would not let me, 
except where the gentlemen said it was safe. 

I wish I were in it now. Two bullets went into the 
chapel, but they did not hurt anybody. One hit my 
mamma on the hip, but it did not hurt her. They were 
both in the night. 

I tried to build a little house out of four sticks, with 



258 SIEGE DAYS 

a cloth on top, just outside the chapel doors, but every 
morning I went out and saw the wind had blown it 
down. 

Mrs. Arthur Smith built a little tent for herself, right 
near ours, and slept there every night. One morning a 
big cannon ball was found on the top of her tent, but 
it had not done any harm. 

One day we were standing in the door of the church, 
and we saw a light through the trees, and for some rea- 
son or other it became larger and we saw it was a fire 
on one of the walls of our compound. After the fire was 
over, our soldiers made a fort there, and they put a big 
gun up there and named it Fort Cockburn. 

After two months we heard a big gun, and then we 
thought perhaps the troops might be coming. When 
we were eating, we heard a big noise and we looked and 
saw a whole lot of American soldiers coming in. We 
took some of our soup and gave it to them, because they 
were very tired and hungry, marching all that way. 
After they were rested, they fought the Chinese soldiers, 
and made them all run away. 

I was not glad to get out of the siege, but my papa, 
mamma and everybody else were happy. — Malcolm 
Gardner Tewksbury, 10 years of age. 

Peking, July 18, 1900. 

My Dear Grandpa : — 

Do you know our houses are burned at- the Hills and 
at Tung-cho too, and we have a better home up in 
heaven, and the Boxers cannot burn that house because 
God is taking care of heaven. All our things are burn- 



SIEGE DAYS 259 

ed, and our books are burned too. Papa brought his 
bicycle with him. I and mama and Donald have lost 
our bicycles because the Boxers have burned our bicycles. 
We are having a very nice time in Peking. Are you 
well? We brought five of our reading books, but our 
other books are burned up. We are trying and trying 
as hard as we can to save our lives. We have to put 
some sand bags upon the windows so that the Boxers 
can't shoot us. We are trying as hard as we can to take 
that big cannon away from the Boxers. Monday, July 
20, I was sick. We are living in a good house. Tues- 
day we had a big rain. We have had a bullet hit on our 
house. Your loving Gardner. 

Here is a bit from another letter : 

"We took two flags away from the Chinese soldiers. 
We are at the English Legation. We left in the midst 
of danger from cannon balls. We left most of our 
things at the Methodist Mission. We eat rice three 
times a day. We can't have all the butter we want. 
We have thirty-nine people. The bullets have stopped. 
We are very low on food. I am going to sing you a song : 

"Nearer, My God, to Thee, 
Nearer to Thee." 

(Here follow four verses of the hymn.) Your loving 
cousin, Gardner. 



FOURTH WEEK. 

I. Journals. 

II. Articles. 

The Corner House. Compiled from Miss Douw. 
Our Legation Friends. 

III. Children's Corner. Ralph and Ernest Chapin. 

July 11 — To-day the thermometer stands at ninety- 
nine and a half in the shade. The siege goes on. Rumors 
of troops are numerous, but bring no real courage to any- 
one. Only every day which passes must bring us nearer 
the end, some end; we can't get around that anyway. 
For two nights our serenades have been a little less loud 
and long. We simply wonder why. The Japs are hold- 
ing on in a wonderful way. They had very few men at 
first, and so many of them have been killed and wound- 
ed that they have at last accepted an offer of aid from 
the English. They hold not only their own Legation, 
but the place which joins them, in which are part of the 
Chinese Christians. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

July 12 — This morning a supposed Boxer was cap- 
tured near the French Legation, wearing a small red 
bag tied around his neck like other Boxers, but on the 
bag were the English words, "Button, button, who wants 
a button ?' Evidently he had obtained his bag by looting 
foreign premises. He claimed to know absolutely noth- 
ing of the approach of foreign troops. 

260 



SIEGE DAYS 261 

We can hurrah again for America. This afternoon 
they took the International (which the marines call 
"Puffing Betsy/' our name being much too high toned 
for them) up to our northern fortification, where the 
Chinese have built up another barricade, behind which 
they were preparing to mount a Krupp gun. There were 
not many in the party. There was a big black artillery 
flag mounted on the Chinese barricade, an important 
one belonging to two camps. Three men started out to 
capture this banner. The English marine, who was in 
front, was knocked down with a brick-bat, but Mitchell, 
our famous gunner, made a dash for the banner, grabbed 
one end while a Chinese soldier seized the other, and 
they played see-saw with it over the barricade for a few 
seconds; then the third member of the party shot the 
Chinese soldier, and they were back again behind our 
barricade with their prize in much less time than it 
takes to tell it, the Chinese being so astonished at the 
performance that they forgot to fire until it was too late. 
— Miss Luella Miner. 

Our men took some hooks and hooked down all but 
two of the sand bags the Chinese had put on top of the 
wall at the Carriage Park. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

The French captured a Chinese flag this morning, 
and this evening an American marine came in with a 
big black flag captured. How we clapped him ! A big 
battle followed; is going on yet, I guess. We wish it 
could have been cannon instead of flags they got. — Mrs. 
H. S. Gait. 

This, the 6th anniversary of our marriage, is being 



262 SIEGE DAYS 

passed in a strange manner. We have a great deal to be 
thankful for, however. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

July 13 — On the night of July 13, beginning about 
6 :30, we had for three hours a most terrific attack. Three 
mines were exploded in the French Legation, blowing up 
houses, killing and injuring foreigners as well as some 
of the enemy. A part of a shell came into our hospital 
and struck one of the beds, but did not injure the sick 
man. Several spent balls struck our porch. We rushed 
around in the most horrible din, making new beds, feel- 
ing around in the dark after things, because the win- 
dows had been filled with sand-bags. Flames burst out 
at the French Legation, also at the German 
Legation and the French hotel. The shot and 
shell of the Chinese cannon was not good, and 
did not fit their guns well, or we should long 
ago have been reduced. Our poor wounded men 
were so brave; helpless, and yet strong in spirit during 
those awful hours of attack. When it was found that 
cannon had been mounted and turned on us, the gentle- 
men went to work and with the help of the Chinese dug 
great pits and covered them over as a place for us to re- 
treat, in case the buildings were battered down. That 
was before we found that they were not good marksmen, 
and their shells poor. How we prayed that we might not 
be reduced to that necessity, and we have not. — Miss 
K. N. Eussell. 

July 14 — Just as I was writing last evening a furious 
attack began which lasted two hours or more, — ^the most 
furious and long continued we have ever had. In the 
midst of the general confusion a large number of 
Chinese, some two hundred, were discovered creeping 



SIEGE DAYS 363 

along close to the wall toward the American Legation. 
They were fired upon by our troops, and thirty or forty 
were killed. If we could realize the situation it would be 
a fearful thing to feel oneself in the focus of all this mur- 
derous hate and deviltry. As it is, we feel held in the hol- 
low of the Lord's hand, and so safe. This afternoon one of 
our messengers, sent out some time ago to find the troops, 
returned with a letter purporting to come from Prince 
Ching and others, — the most audacious and absurd let- 
ter that ever was written. The writer utterly ignored 
the fact that government soldiers have been cannonad- 
ing us night and day the past three and a half weeks, 
assumes that relations are friendly, and desires to main- 
tain them so; hence wishes to protect us. They have 
devised the following plan: they request the foreign 
ministers, with their families and staff officers, to leave 
the Legations and come in detachments to the Tsung- 
li-yamen, the government sending trusty men to protect 
them, but on no account to allow a single armed soldier 
to accompany them;. they to be kept for the present in 
the Tsung-li-yamen till arrangements are made for send- 
ing them home. They request an answer to-day. They 
say no other plan can be devised, and if the ministers 
refuse to accede to this request, even their "affection" 
can do nothing to help us. One wonders what their idea 
is in sending such a letter. They cannot be fools enough 
to expect us to accede to such a request. The messenger 
was a Catholic. He was seized just outside the city, his 
letter, written to the captain of the troops, which was 
hidden in his mouth, :was taken from him, and he was 
beaten eighty blows; but his life was spared, that he 



264 SIEGE DAYS 

might bring us this letter and take back an answer. — 
Miss M. E. Andrews. 

I think all our ministers need say in reply to these 
terms would be "German minister." — Miss J. G. Evans. 

July 15^ Sunday — To-day has been quiet and we have 
not had to make sand bags. Just as last week, there were 
devotional exercises at half past nine and a Bible reading 
at 3. There was also a Church of England service at 
Sir Claude's house. Beside these, there were separate 
services for the hospital patients, the sick Chinese, the 
school girls, and for other Chinese. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

While I was sitting at the door of the chapel today, a 
piece of an exploded shell struck my hand so hard as to 
make it ache for hours. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

July 16 — Last night was one of the hardest yet. We 
had two sharp attacks, one at nine and one at twelve 
o'clock, and in between times the poor sick babies in the 
church cried. Then the mosquitoes bit until the flies got 
ready for their attack. We all smile at the way the 
enemy's cannon roar and their rifles crash when they are 
so anxious for peace. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

This morning Rev. Arthur Smith led prayers and 
called our attention to the many special providences of 
our situation. 

July 16 was one of the darkest days of the siege for 
many of us. We had been fired upon day and night con- 
stantly for four weeks. Many of the women had not 
been able to sleep through the long weary nights for the 
noise made by the boom of cannon and the zipping of 
bullets, and often when these large noises would die 



SIEGE DAYS 265 

away we would hear the Chinese bugles and the howl- 
ing of the mob outside — which were weird unearthly 
sounds more trying to the nerves than the firing of 
guns. Many of the men dared not sleep because of the 
weakness of our position. The general alarm was 
sounded nearly every night during those first weeks 
(sometimes two or three times), which meant every man 
at his post to defend the women and children. Many 
of the English and American marines had not slept 
with their boots oS for a month, and they were nearly 
worn out with constant watching and the lack of prop- 
er food and rest. Nearly every day we had seen one, 
two or three of our boys being carried to the hospital 
till that place was full to overflowing. When the wo- 
men saw a wounded man being carried toward the hos- 
pital, they would look wildly about to see if their loved 
ones were in sight, well knowing that husband or father 
were on duty in perilous places, and almost holding 
their breath till they knew who had fallen. Provisions 
were running low, except for brown bread and horse 
meat (for which we never forgot to be thankful). 
These days the precious cans of condensed milk were 
saved for the little ones and no one had white rice ex- 
cept invalids. 

I was on night duty at the hospital, and after a 
weary night of serving (which I was so glad to do) I 
watched the morning of July 16 dawn, wondering 
what this day had in store for us. It was dark, gloomy 
and sticky. A drizzling rain added to the general de- 
pression and to the foul odors which were bad enough 
in dry weather. The faces of the men as we moved in 



2U SIEGE DAYS 

and out among them with basins of water and towels 
were unnsually hopeless. I tried to jolly them np by 
telling those with broken arms that they ought to be 
thankful it was not their legs, for when the troops 
came they could walk to Tientsin, and those with brok- 
en legs I told them they ought to be glad it wasn't their 
heads, but sometimes a man would wish he had been 
killed outright and I could not blame him, for it was 
so uncomfortable with scanty hospital furnishings, 
coarse diet, the swarms of flies and mosquitoes, making 
their environment anything but cheerful. 

Some of us stood on the hospital veranda that morn- 
ing and saw a squad of English marines, perhaps twen- 
ty, march out and soon disappear from our view as 
they crept out through a hole under the wall to cross 
the moat and re-enforce their comrades on the east 
where the firing was unusually heav}^ In about an hour 
one of them was carried back, and we had no sooner 
put him on the table to dress his wound than they 
carried in another man. Captain Strouts, whose left 
tliigh was shattered and bleeding profusely, and whose 
features were pinched and drawn with pain. I said 
to the one brought in first, "Are you badly hurt?" and 
he said, ''^ISTo, no ; see to him first." As the word passed 
from lip to lip that morning through the Legation, 
that Captain Strouts was fatally wounded, that Dr. 
Morrison was wounded — though not seriously, that an 
English marine had died of hemorrhage in the night, 
that Fisher, an American marine, had been shot on the 
wall that morning, an indescribable gloom settled down 
over all and we wondered how much longer we could 



SIEGE DAYS 267 

hold out at this rate. Two gallant captains — Myers 
and Halliday — were already in the hospital seriously 
wounded and it was now a question of who could take 
command. In discussing the hopelessness of the situ- 
ation with one of the soldier boys that day and the 
dreadful loss of life, he said cheerfully, "Why, if all 
the men were killed and only the women and children 
saved, it would be all right — that's what we are here 
for." 

The sun came out in the afternoon, and things 
seemed brighter, and then we remembered that some 
one else long ago, like ourselves was "troubled on every 
side, yet not distressed; perplexed but not in despair; 
persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not de- 
stroyed"; and also that "our light affliction, which is 
but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory." That evening just before 
sunset, there was a lull in the firing and many of the 
women, soldiers of all nationalities, ministers and 
their wives, followed Capt. Strouts' body to its last rest- 
ing place in the little crowded cemetery in the corner 
of the British compound. The English burial service 
was read and as the body was being lowered wrapped 
in a blanket and the flag was removed — to be used for 
the next one — a shell went shrieking overhead so near 
us that we all involuntarily dodged. This was soon 
followed by another and another. We hurried back to 
the little chapel and a shell burst so near us that it 
cut some leaves from a tree overhead and some pieces 
of shrapnel fell at our feet. Suddenly the thrilling 
news passed around that Major Conger had received 



268 SIEGE DAYS 

a cablegram from Washington and we waited with wild 
impatience to hear what it was, as we had been shut 
up in the Legation for a month without any news from 
the outside world. Imagine our disappointment when 
a little later we found that all it contained was "Trans- 
mit message bearer." No news of when relief was com- 
ing, or if it was coming at all. No date, no nothing. 
There was much speculation as to what this message 
meant, and it took us some time to comprehend that 
it was sent only that we might have a chance of re- 
turning a message. Major Conger replied in cipher: 
^'FoT one month we have been besieged in the British 
Legation under continuous shot and shell from Chinese 
troops. Quick relief only can prevent general massa- 
cre."* When forwarding his reply he asked that it be 
sent to the address from which the other had come. 
The next day the Yamen sent him an answer, saying 
his message had been forwarded, and explaining that 
the telegram sent to him had been contained in a tele- 
gram from Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese minister at 
Washington, and dated July 11. This message, on be- 
ing received at Washington, was not given to the public 
at once, for they thought there was surely some mis- 
take — ^perhaps poor Mr. Conger was losing his wits be- 
cause of the unusual nervous strain to which he was 
subjected. Had not the Chinese minister assured them 
that all this late unpleasantness was caused by lawless 
bands of Boxers with which the government was vainly 
endeavoring to cope? 



* "There is only one chance in a thousand that they will for- 
ward it, but it is worth risking," Maj. Conger said. And they 
really did send it, as the world knows. Mbs. J. Inous. 



SIEGE DAYS 269 

We found out long afterwards that the Chinese had 
suffered defeat at Tientsin on the 13th and 14th, and 
this accounted for the cessation of hostilities ; although 
the sharpshooting continued daily, there were no more 
organized attacks or cannonading till the last few days 
of the siege. 

It was one of these days that Mrs. Conger referred 
us to the passage of scripture in 2nd Cor. 1 :8-ll which 
seemed to fit us so well : "For we would not, brethren, 
have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in 
Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above 
strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But 
we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we 
should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth 
the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, 
and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet 
deliver us." — Emma E. Martin, M. D. 

Tuesday, July 17. — Another letter came also to Ma- 
jor Conger, in answer to his, inquiring in regard to the 
strange telegram of the day before. They say it comes 
from Washington, and was accompanied by another 
telegram not in cipher, from Wu, the Chinese minister 
in Washington. A copy of the telegram was sent. It 
says that the Secretary of State instructs him to tele- 
graph that America will gladly help China; also to 
inquire after the welfare of Major Conger. I have 
no faith in the authenticity of the telegram. I do not 
believe such a message could be possibly sent by our 
government, after the telegrams we sent home a month 
ago telling of the burning of all our property, the 



270 SIEGE DAYS 

massacre of all our Christians, and our own danger. — 
Miss Andrews. 

As if this wasn't excitement enough for one day, 
another Boxer was captured early in the morning; 
then a white flag appeared over the Chinese barricade 
by the French Legation, followed by a soldier who had 
lost an ear and who said he had come for medical 
treatment. The deserting soldier was quite communi- 
cative. He is a bugler, and one explanation given of 
the loss of his ear is that it was cut off by his colonel 
because he did not blow his bugle according to orders. 
He says the Boxers and soldiers are now at swords' 
points. Evidently each wanted a large proportion of 
loot and a small proportion of fight, and now that loot- 
ing is on the wane for lack of victims, each prefers that 
the other should die for his country. Many soldiers 
want to desert, but the gates are guarded, so that they 
cannot go out in large companies, and if they go singly, 
they fall into the hands of the angry Boxers. — Miss L. 
Miner. 

THE CORNEB HOUSE. 

How many memories are stirred at the mention of 
the "Corner House." Others, who knew it in its former 
state, might call it the "First Secretary's house," but 
to us who .made our home there during that eventful 
summer, it was, and always will be, "the comer house." 

It is a large two-story house at the southeast comer 
of the British Legation. When residence in the Alli- 
ance Mission in the west city was judged unsafe, Miss 
Brown and I went to the American Legation, but Miss 



SIEGE DAYS 271 

Gowans and Miss Rutherford, as British subjects, went 
to that house, where they were joined by Miss McKilli- 
can of the A. P. M., also a Canadian. When the Ameri- 
can Legation also was pronounced unsafe, we who were 
there joined the party in the corner house, as did also 
Miss N'ewton of the A. P. M. So the six of us tried 
to plan how we could best make ourselves comfortable 
for the time we should be there. When we had already 
been there about two weeks, meeting Dr. Martin one 
day, he volunteered the remark, that he thought we 
could hold out ten days longer. Little we dreamed it 
would be eight weeks in all! 

In this house twenty-six foreigners were quartered. 
There were four bed rooms down stairs. A bank director 
and his wife occupied one of these until it was needed 
as an annex to the hospital; when they moved into a 
smaller room in the same house. The family of Mr. 
Stonehouse (L. M. S.) lived in another of these large 
rooms, while a third, not so large, was occupied by the 
single ladies of the London Mission, with the exception 
of Miss Smith, who arranged a cot for herself in the 
entry, curtaining it off with Chinese gauze of so gor- 
geous a hue that it was called by some "the throne of 
the Queen of Sheba." Of our own room, I will speak 
later. 

The second floor of this house, being too exposed for 
safety, the other lodgers, men without wives, had no 
other place open to them than the lower veranda. That 
was open, alas, too open ! Here, on shutters, or in ham- 
mocks, these poor men sought repose, and a wash basin 
at the end of the veranda located the toilet room. As 



272 SIEGE DAYS 

the rooms occupied by the ladies opened out with glass 
doors upon this veranda, and as we could keep the shut- 
ters closed but on one side, much of the time, these fel- 
low-lodgers might have made it very disagreeable for 
us. That they did not, was owing to the fact that they 
were gentlemen; and the ladies never think of tten 
without gratitude for their delicate consideration. 

The upper story of the house was not useless, though 
it could not be used for living purposes, being far too 
exposed. But it was used as barracks and watch tower 
and fort. The wide verandas at front and side of the 
house were bricked half the way up, and then barri- 
caded with many colored sand-bags as high as the cap- 
itals of the columns, leaving the arch above for venti- 
lation. The gaps between the sand-bags could admit 
the muzzle of a gun if sharpshooting should be nec- 
essary; and on the upper veranda our boys were al- 
ways on the watch with their rifles. Some of the up- 
per rooms served as granaries, great silken bags of 
wheat being carried up and stored there. After the 
siege was lifted, the roof of the house was used as a 
signal station — and an officer could be heard giving the 
message to the man who stood upright, and, flag in 
hand, wig-wagged the message to the officer on guard 
at the great city gate, the Chien Men. 

But now let us go down stairs again, and we will 
let you know how we six lived in one room. 

The first thing to plan for was a place to sleep. A 
trunk or two, made even by wraps, formed the beds of 
two, while two more were accommodated on a mattress 



SIEGE BAYS 273 

placed first on the floor, and afterwards, when the fleas 
proved too terrible a foe, spread upon the dining room 
table, which was nightly dragged in from the hall for 
this purpose. Afterwards, some boxes and trunks took 
the place of this table, which it was found inconvenient 
to move, and covered with shawls, served as a couch or 
table by day, and a bed by night. A spring mattress 
placed on four boxes formed the bed of the remaining 
couple (one of whom, however, afterwards made her 
bed on a row of chairs). It was for quite a while a 
mystery how the mosquitoes could pass the barricade 
made by the net expressly designed to prevent their 
sharp night attacks; but finally they were detected in 
mining operations — coming up through the springs — 
and this point also was defended. 

The bath-room was a wash stand in a comer behind 
two screens. The ordinary amenities of life would not 
include an invitation to come to one's house at a cer- 
tain hour, and enjoy the luxury of a sponge bath, but 
circumstances so alter cases that many of the ladies 
quartered in the chapel were most grateful to accept 
invitations, and the comer was occupied most of the 
time. 

Now, one will ask, "How did you eat?" We had 
brought with us, in the first place, a low sewing table 
and two chairs. We ate at first in our own room, from 
this table, using, in addition to these chairs, a soap box 
and an artist's stool on which was placed a rattan foot- 
stool. Thus four could sit at table, while two waited to 
eat at second table, one of whom in the meantime 
served, this place being taken in turn by all the younger 



274 SIEGE DAYS 

members of the party. Some trunks which served as a 
bed by night did duty as sideboards by day. We after- 
wards changed our dining room, aad took our meals 
when another party had finished, from the Queen^s 
dining table in the hall. (Called "Queen^s table" be- 
cause it had the initials Y. E. on it.) 

At the time of our coming here we were all packed 
for our summer at Pei Tai Ho. So we had some stores, 
dishes and table linen (the latter not strong enough 
for sand-bags). The time when the chapel dwellers 
were sitting in disconsolate rows on the altar steps, 
plate in lap and glass and tea cup between feet, was 
the very time that our stores were most abundant, and 
many ladies were invited over, one by one. The at- 
traction of the invitation did not consist in the many 
courses but the small homelike accessories of the meal, 
and the comparative stillness and comfort. On such 
occasions we often treated ourselves and them to plum 
pudding, made with citron and a few raisins. This in 
siege times was a great treat, but as time drew on, and 
our stores became diminished, we were obliged to dis- 
continue these invitations. 

The cooking was done in the kitchen of the house, 
in a back building, by our own servant, he taking his 
turn with the other cooks at the fire. Our family, like 
all others, were required to spare our servants two 
hours each day for work on fortifications, but this 
caused so m^ch confusion that we gave the whole time 
of two men, retaining the right to control the time 
of the other one. (One of the two men was a Christian 



SIEGE DAYS 275 

mason, whom we took into service for the time being 
to save his life.) 

As to our employments, we were busy, like all the 
other ladies, in the making of sand-bags. Even the 
Turkish rugs of the Legation were surrendered for 
this purpose, and at times we not only made sand-bags, 
but afterwards held them, while others with fire shovels 
filled them, and then they were tied and taken off. 
Later, when the need for these sand-bags was not so 
great, but the want in the hospital was greater, we made 
shirts, etc., for the wounded, or garments for the sol- 
diers whose uniforms were giving out with hard use. 
Our room in the daytime always looked as if a Dorcas 
Society were being held which never broke up. The 
sewing machine which we had brought with us was 
scarcely ever allowed to rest. 

Four of our number assisted in the hospital, and a 
medal from the Eed Cross Society of Italy has since 
been received by the Superintendent of the Alliance 
Mission, in acknowledgment of this work. 

One book published on the siege says there were no 
prayer meetings held during this time. The author of 
this book held the post of gate keeper, or guard at the 
large gate of the Legation. So how could he know of 
the daily meetings, held not only in the chapel, but 
in other places ? We had daily pra3^ers with the Chinese, 
attended not only by our servants, but by others em- 
ployed in the house, occasionally twelve or more pre- 
sent. After a while English service was held on Sun- 
days in the hall, for the benefit of the convalescents in 
the hospital room and other soldiers off duty and able 



276 SIEGE DAYS 

to attend. This was conducted by Mr. Stonehouse and 
others. A baby organ that we brought with us added to 
the interest of these meetings. And during times when 
fires would be kindled outside our lines, when there was 
nothing that we could do but pray, we would gather, 
the few of us in our room, and ask for help. 

There were times, when the fires came nearer, when 
we had to help answer our prayers. At such times 
we not only helped in passing the buckets, but also were 
called to lend some. Of course, it was necessary to 
keep all stores, dishes, etc., in our own room. At times 
of fire, one and another would come in and ask for 
pitchers or pails or anything that would hold water, 
also for ropes. They were lent with fear and trem- 
bling lest they might not be returned; and after the 
fires were subdued, what a looking for those same ar- 
ticles there was! For what could we do without any- 
thing to hold water, to wash our faces or hands or 
clothes, or even to wash our dishes with! 

The house was very much exposed, east, west and 
south, having no buildings between us and the enemy, 
while the height of the house made it a fair target for 
the bullets of the enemy. We often picked up flat- 
tened bullets under the walls of the house, and even 
on the piazza; and when we take into consideration the 
number of bullets which were picked up in the neigh- 
borhood, it is wonderful how any of us escaped. One 
of our ladies had several pieces of shell thrown on the 
rim of her hat, as she crossed the tennis court. The 
leaves or little twigs often fell from the trees out- 
side as they were shot off by the Chinese. The back 



SIEGE DAYS 277 

of the house was peppered with bullets, a washbowl 
which had been used for washing garments being here 
shot through and rendered useless. A bullet passed 
through the transom in the hall, and shattered the 
glass. Three cannon shots passed through the house; 
one through the roof, just escaping a gentleman who but 
a moment before stood in its range; another shot into 
Mr. Stonehouse's room, as his wife lit a candle, to 
minister to a sick child, and a third through the room 
above. We used to pray that no ball would enter our 
room, and none ever did. During the night attacks, 
as we listened to the blare of Chinese trumpets, and the 
ominous boom of cannon so near us, it seemed impossi- 
ble but that we must be shot in bed ; truly it seemed as if 
they were shooting in every direction. Some of us took 
up our mattresses and walked over to the ball-room for 
a time, because Mr. Gamewell thought it was safer there 
than in our room. 

We might speak of many discomforts, of that sticky 
varnish, those flies, those mosquitoes, those odors, those 
noises. Could anyone reproduce them? Or would he, 
if he could? Let us confine ourselves to the one Bense 
of sight. 

In the daytime, as we sat near the long windows 
opening on the veranda, we could see the children play- 
ing there; and it would have been amusing, if it were 
not pathetic, to see how martial their plays had become. 
They would tramp up and down the length of the ver- 
anda, shouting "Forward, march." There was a stick 
mounted on wheels which they drew about in imitation 
of a cannon, and a very good imitation it was. Some- 



278 SIEGE DAYS 

times they would repair to the tennis ground near by, 
and build forts, from which they really threw stones and 
hurt eaclT other. One of the mothers once expostulated 
with one of the boys w^ho had hurt another. "Why, mam- 
ma," said the youngster, "he called me a Boxer'^ — a per- 
fectly valid excuse according to his view. These mar- 
tial sports had to leave the veranda altogether later in 
the siege, as the Stonehouse baby became so ill. In- 
stead of romping with the others, he was now carried 
up and down, as he grew weaker and weaker under the 
deprivations of the siege. Little we thought that the 
little fellow would ever live to get out and that his 
father, who was carrying him, would be called away 
first, picked off by a bullet when on a country trip some 
months later. 

But from these long windows little can be seen, on. 
account of the groups on the veranda, and the barri- 
cade between the pillars, formed partly by the trunks 
and boxes belonging to the inmates of the house. Sup- 
pose we join the group on the piazza and watch what 
there is to see from that point. 

Let us bound our views as we used to bound states 
in the geography class, commencing with the north 
end of the veranda. At this side lies a vacant square, 
in front of the hospital. When we first went into the 
siege, a flock of 75 sheep was brought in and kept there, 
to be used for food. We broke off the small branches of 
the trees and fed to them by request, to keep them 
from breaking away.* On the opposite side of the 



*A large flock of sheep were driven in and the ponies and 
mules were brought from the different legations and tied any- 



SIEGE DAYS 279 

sheepfold, on the north, was the house occupied by the 
Russians. They barricaded their veranda with trunks, 
etc., and their carts and mules occupied the open space 
in front, their chickens roosting in the trees, or on 
the top of carts, till all were eaten. One of the mules 
was killed by a shot from the enemy, and the others 
were then removed. 

Passing now to the east, that is, the front of the 
house, we find the view bounded by the east wall of the 
Legation. Between the bomb-proof at the foot of this 
wall, and the front of the house, passes the great road 
of the Legation which leads to the small eastern gate, 
usually presided over by a Catholic priest. On the 
bushes near by and the piles of tree branches, one can 
often see part of our wash, viz., towels and handker- 
chiefs, put out to dry ; or if the day should be rainy, our 
pails, etc., put out to catch the precious rain-water, 
which utensils, spite of our watching, were sometimes 
carried off. 

To the south of us was a little court, separated from 
us by a few old carts and the piled-up branches of 



where under the trees. I could not imagine at first what they 
wanted with all those sheep and horses, when there was little 
enough room for the people; but I soon realized that we were 
getting ready for a siege, and these animals proved very use- 
ful afterwards. 

For the first few- days the sheep had to be fed with the 
branches of leaves that thp bullets and shells brought down, 
and one day I had a good laugh as I looked out of the hospital 
and saw Miss Newton, Miss Rutherford and some one else go- 
ing past, tugging at a huge limb that had been struck doAvn by 
a shell. They had almost more than they could do to get it 
dragged along and lifted over the railing into the enclosure 
where the sheep were waiting for it. They went at it in such 
a matter-of-fact way as though that had always been their 
work. 



280 SIEGE DAYS 

trees. Affer we had been in some days, a hole was 
made in the south wall of this court, thus opening a 
passage from this Legation to the Chinese quarters, and 
beyond to the Eussian Legation, also forming an inner 
and safer passage to the American Legation. 

The west, being behind the house, is not in view from 
the veranda. So now, our background is complete. 

To tell of what could be seen from our veranda would 
be to give a brief epitome of the siege. The very first 
coming into the Legation was mainly through the 
large gate further north; but after the firing com- 
menced, that was guarded, and later a redoubt built 
out, so that passing back and forth was mostly con- 
fined to either the small eastern gate, or the hole in the 
southern wall. It seemed like a continuous procession 
all day long — military and private citizens — ministers 
of Legation and ministers of the gospel — private sol- 
diers and Chinese coolies — and often there was little 
distinction among them. But some figures among the 
throng attract our notice from the frequency with which 
they pass — Mr. Gamewell on his bicycle going to su- 
perintend the work on fortifications— also Dr. Ament, 
who one day had a bottle shot out of his hand while 
he remained unhurt. The bringing of grain and sup- 
plies from the foreign and Chinese stores is a most nec- 
essary work (albeit a dangerous one), and here we 
may note the constant passing of Mr. Chamot's* cart, 
protected by his American wife, gun in hand, taking 
bread and other provisions to those whom they fed. 



*Keeper of the French Hotel, located now on one of the 
open pavilions. 



SIEGE DAYS 281 

We may know this cart by the Belgian flag covering one 
side of it. And there is a loaded cart coming in, driven 
by a slender boy of 15 or so, son of Mr. Squiers of the 
American Legation. Now, as we look, go men carrying 
out the wreck of buildings, torn down to prevent danger 
of fire, or too close quarters of the enemy. And again, 
here are a couple of coolies carrying a mule's head on 
a pole between them. This and other refuse is carried 
out the gate and dumped in the canal. Or we may see 
missionaries and others hacking down the trees in front 
of the house, lest they make a cover for sharp-shooters. 
Later we see digging of the bomb-proof in front, pre- 
pared for the women and children of the house in case 
the bullets come too thickly. 

One of the depressing sights in the early part of the 
siege was the coming in of the soldiers from all the Le- 
gations, when the Austrian commander thought all was 
lost. Then from time to time we would see the wound- 
ed carried past on the way to the hospital. Then, all 
too often, the funerals of our brave defenders carried 
by their comrades in arms, preceded by Eev. Mr. Allen 
or Eev. Mr. Norris, reciting: "I am the resurrection 
and the life."* The burial was almost under our win- 
dows; often two, and twice three, in a grave. But 
finally came brighter days of hope, and at last we can see 
from our veranda the excitement as the relief party 
comes straggling in amid hurrahs of welcome ! 



*It was remarkable how quickly, after this sad rite was over, 
the gold and purple and fine-twined linen of the priestly robe 
would be doffed, and the one return to his duties in the hospital 
and the other shoulder his shovel and go to direct and help on 
fortification work. 



282 SIEGE DAYS 

And lastly, there is the long line of carts which went 
out of the gate with the first British convo}^, of which 
procession we were a part; and so ended the life in "The 
Corner House." — Compiled from letters and conversa- 
tions of Miss D. M. Douw. 

OuE Legation Friends. 

Mrs. Conger and Mrs. Squiers were lovely all through, 
and were ready everywhere with a helping hand. — Miss 
N". N. Eussell. 

One generous soul, a rich lady, the granddaughter of 
John Jacob Astor, Mrs. Herbert Squiers, the wife of the 
First Secretary of Legation, gave us many loads of 
beautiful stores, which saved the lives of delicate ladies 
and pining little children through the dreadful siege. 
—Mrs. A. H. Smith. 

It was the ingenuity of adapting means to ends, as 
well as a generous spirit of self-sacrifice, that won for 
Mrs. Conger the title of "The Fairy God-mother," by 
which she was known in the hospital. And not only in 
supplying these needs, but in all other cases coming to 
her notice, nothing was too nice to sacrifice for the pub- 
lic good. If cloth for sand-bags failed, she brought 
forward her own supplies of dainty hemstitched table 
linen just brought from home, and the rolls of silk the 
Empress Dowager had presented her the year before. 
And it seemed an inspiration to meet her as she came 
out at the time of "Blindman^s Holiday" to join the 
group of missionaries around the bell tower, giving us 
words of sympathy and cheer. 



SIEGE DAYS 283 

People of other nationalities were impressed with the 
democratic customs prevalent in our Legation (that is 
to say, the American quarter of the English Legation), 
and the relations existing between ourselves and our 
chief. Their envy was openly expressed at the time 
when the messenger came in with messages for the Le- 
gations. These messages were received by the other 
ministers with the reserve of diplomacy; but Maj. 
Congers were deciphered by the code as rapidly as possi- 
ble, copied out, and then each letter as finished taken 
out and read to the crowd assembled around the bell 
tower, a crowd by no means all American, but as eager 
for news as we. They were afterwards tacked up on the 
boards with other public notices. 

We were fortunate in having so many fighting men 
among our chiefs of Legation. Maj. Conger had served 
in the Atlanta campaign, marching with Sherman to 
the sea. He worked on the defenses with his own hands, 
like the true American that he was. Mr. Squiers and 
Mr. Bainbridge were also military men. 

But to return to the ladies. In the making of the 
sand-bags, they were in no wise behind the missionary 
ladies. In fact, being less hampered with cares for the 
means of life of a great crowd, perhaps they could de- 
vote more time to it than we. In three days the six 
ladies at the Legation made 1,500 sand-bags. 

And in all other labors of love they were most abun- 
dant. 'Many a delicacy from the table of Mrs. Squiers 
went to sustain some drooping invalid. Mrs. Bain- 
bridge, wife of the second secretary, had no extensive 
storeroom from which to draw, nor had she strength for 



284 SIEGE DAYS 

much work, being much of the time ill herself. But 
some of us saw beautiful revealings of a tender heart 
as we saw her sit for hours by the side of the poor little 
dying lamb of our flock, afterwards, when all was over, 
preparing the little body for its dainty casket. 

And the kindness of the English minister and his 
wife. Sir Claude and Lady MacDonald, and the sister 
of the latter. Miss Armstrong, their repeated acts of 
courtesy and generosity, come up at every thought of 
our siege camp. — A. H. 

Of the thoughtfulness of Lady MacDonald and her 
sister, Miss Armstrong, Mrs. Inglis makes grateful ac- 
knowledgment : "We never received so much kindness 
from any one. We were given cradle, carriage, mosqui- 
to netting, distilled and mineral water, daily, and Lady 
MacDonald even took her owm little three-year-old 
Stella off from cow's milk to let our baby try it for a 
change. I shall never forget the morning that baby 
died, when Lady MacDonald came with tears in her 
eyes, and said: ^I know what it means to lose a child, 
for I lost two within four days.' How a common grief 
opens our hearts to that Christ-like sympathy that 
makes the whole world kin." 

CHILDREN'S CORNER. 

The following is from Kalph Chapin in his own 
words : 

"We had horse's meat to eat and old Chinese rice. It 
was coarse, brown rice. I used to eat salt on my bread 
because I knew salt was in butter, because I couldn't 



SIEGE DAYS 285 

have any butter. I wouldn't go to the siege of Peking 
again for a dollar, I wouldn't. 

Ernest Chapin remarked one day : "Next time I go 

to the siege I'll " going on to tell how he would 

fight the Boxers. 



FIFTH WEEK. 

I. Journals. 

II. Articles. 

The Husbands. Mrs. Chapin, Mrs. Killie and 
others. 

The Children. Mrs. Ewing, Mrs. Inglis and oth- 
ers. 

III. Children's Corner. Euth Ingram. 

July 18. The messenger who returned from ^Trince 
Ching and others" states that foreign troops began the 
war, and that our soldiers on the wall are very objec- 
tiona^jle — please remove them ! ! — Miss J. Gl. Evans. 

Thursday, July 19. The Chinese on the wall come 
out under a flag of truce and ask if they may remove 
their dead from the wall. Our troops are only too glad 
to have them do it. They wrap up twenty-two in mat- 
ting and let them down over the wall into the southern 
city, where an immense crowd is assembled to view the 
grewsome scene. The stench is very dreadful. The 
secretary of the Tsungli Yamen calls, but the only talk 
is about the feasibility of starting a market for fresh 
fruits and vegetables. A man comes to the Han Lin 
barricade with seventy eggs tied about his waist in his 
girdle, and only two of the lot are broken. — Mrs. E. K. 
Lowry. 

I have been over to the American Legation. The 

286 



SIEGE DAYS 287 

destruction there of trees, houses, etc. is something to 
make one wonder how we have escaped. There is a 
strong barricade across Legation street. Just above the 
Legation entrance ; but the most wonderful barricade, I 
think, is the double one just by the bridge. I should 
think it would be almost impossible to take that. We 
went where we could see something of the work done 
on the wall, but cannot go up there now, as it is not 
considered safe for us. We came very near to the en- 
emy's barricades. Their flags can be seen east and west. 
Then we went over into the court where the Christians 
are, and home by the bridge and moat. This was get- 
ting out a little, but not very safe. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

Friday, July 20. We are wondering if the troops 
have really started today. We have had another quiet 
day and night. No special news to-day. Some amus- 
ing things, among others, a cart load of watermelons 
gent to the foreign ministers with a card purporting to 
be from the Emperor Kuang Hsu, saying he feared 
they might not be able to get them here, and wished 
to make a present of them. (It is true that we can get 
no fruit or vegetables of any kind. A few hucksters 
have ventured to come within our lines with things to 
sell, but we hear that their heads were taken off in con- 
sequence. However, a few eggs are smuggled in, so 
that the sick ones and the little children can have 
them.) Some copies of the Peking Gazette were brought 
in toda}' containing various government edicts. They 
are posted upon the bell tower, but so many have been 
around them, reading and copying, that I have not yet 



288 SIEGE DAYS 

had opportunity to get within reading distance. — Miss 
Andrews. 

Our men are hard at work superintending the coun- 
termining. No amount of description of a counter- 
mine gives one such an idea as to see the real thing — 
a trench 12 to 15 feet deep dug parallel to our outside 
walls, so that any mining under this wall would be 
discovered. Today our men found a wonderful thing 
while digging in a countermine in the Han Lin court — 
a large collection of ancient stone cannon balls, made 
ready to fire from a catapult. The tree under whose 
roots they were found must have been growing there five 
hundred years. — A. H. 

Jidy 21. There has been a sort of half truce since 
the letters from the palace, and some Chinese soldiers 
were induced to come near enough our lines for con- 
versation. The result is an egg market, the soldiers 
bringing the eggs concealed on their bodies. Even with 
this precaution, we know that several have been killed 
by their officers for thus helping the enemy. But what 
a Godsend these eggs are to us ! Ellen was almost wild 
over hers. I am allowed to buy three a day, but only 
children or sick persons have permission to eat these 
luxuries. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

July 22. The little Inglis baby died today. She 
was not quite a year old. She kept well the longest of 
any of the children, but first faded away when she was 
taken sick. — Mrs. C. E. ESving. 

July 23. We had a very hard rain last night and 
this morning. I never saw such a rain for so many 



SIEGE DAYS 289 

hours. Of course this may delay the troops more or 
less. But it will wash out the moat near us where all 
the refuse of this little city has been thrown for the 
past month, and it will give us air to breathe a bit 
more free from the vile odors, perhaps. — Mrs. H. S. 
Gait. 

This afternoon four of us went first to the American 
Legation, then out into Legation street as far as the 
German Legation. When they were bombarding us all 
the time it was not safe to go so far. Such destruc- 
tion as we saw ! The Germans still hold the place, but 
how the houses are riddled ! When the trouble began, they 
had 51 there. Now they have but 27 who can do duty. 
Ten have been killed and many wounded. It is wonder- 
ful they could have held the Legation the night the 
attack was made upon it — three guns on the wall and 
two below firing shot and shell upon them. The Le- 
gation is close up under the city wall, so they were at 
their mercy, as the Chinese hold that part of the wall. 
While there, one realized the great danger we had been 
in and still were in, for we could see how close their 
line was to ours. Looking through a loophole we could 
see a Boxer flag only a few rods away. At one place, 
the men's heads came up above the wall, and they 
beckoned to us. This was during the truce, but even 
then we did not trust them too far. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

July 24. The almost daily rumors of the near ap- 
proach of the troops have about ceased. Even the sure 
evidence of the distant sound of foreign cannon, and 
the sight of the well-known flash light from one of the 
English gunboats, we have had to doubt as the days go 



290 SIEGE DAYS 

by. I am afraid our hopes furnished most of the ma- 
terial for these stories. Now any such rumors are re- 
ceived with scorn. We shall believe the foreign troops 
are a reality when we see them. However, we do 
believe in our final deliverance. After all that God 
has done so far, we cannot think he means us as a 
whole to be swept out. His way and His time will 
surely see us safely through. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

The Husbands. 

Not all of these can be spoken of here. The work of 
some has been noticed in the chapter on "The Work- 
ers," that of others in the journal. In the first of these 
extracts, the description, though pre-eminently appli- 
cable to the one of whom it is written, is such a good 
characterization of the work of all, that it is left anony- 
mous. 

Mr. is working very hard. He is the sort of man 

who fits in everywhere, and puts himself to any kind 
of hard wark. Time after time he came in yesterday, 
covered with smoke and grime, clothes all mud and 
water from fighting fire. He is growing thin, thinner 
than I ever saw him before. He isn^t sick — ^just worn 
out with work, lack of sleep, worry, and not the best 
and most nutritious food. He declares he is just worn 
down to good fighting flesh. It looks queer to see him 
shoulder his gun and go off to join the other mission- 
aries who are around. 

Since leaving Tungchou Mr. Tewksbury has been 
more busy than ever, losing much sleep from being up 
at all hours of the night. He is the chairman of the 



SIEGE DAYS 291 

general committee, so everything comes to him, and he 
is driven almost to death. I never see him, or have a 
chance to get any news from him, but he has kept very 
well through it all. He has had two attacks of malaria 
and other troubles, but not enough to lay him up. — 
Mrs. Tewksbury. 

Mr. Chapin was most of the day absent overseeing 
work on fortifications. Much of the time bullets were 
continually whistling overhead. One day when going 
to his work, one struck a wall a few feet away, passing 
within two feet of him. At another time, while watch- 
ing workmen, he was suddenly surprised by a shower 
of broken tile and dirt. Looking around, he saw that 
a cannon ball had struck the roof of a house thirty feet 
away, rebounded, and passing directly over his head 
went through the brick wall of a two-story house. He 
heard later that it had passed over a bed, falling be- 
hind it, without having harmed the two ladies who 
were lying upon it. Sometimes the work done by the 
Cliinese under his direction was in exposed places, and 
the men were obliged to lie down and lift brick and 
other material into place, as best they could. The dif- 
ference in the work done by the Catholics and Protest- 
ants was very noticeable — the latter being more trust- 
worthy. — Mrs. F. M. Chapin. 

You ask me to say something about the photographs 
which my husband took and which have preserved for 
us such a graphic record of scenes during and imme- 
diately after the siege. Mr. Killie had for many years 
been more or less of an amateur photographer, and 



292 SIEGE DAYS 

brought into the siege with him his photographic out- 
fit. In the flight to the British Legation on June 20 
his larger camera was left behind, but his "pocket Ko- 
dak'^ was saved, together with two or three rolls of 
films, on one of which some good views had been taken 
during the twelve days in which we were all at the 
Methodist compound. With the remaining films more 
pictures of our daily life and work (such as filling 
sand bags, digging trenches, fighting fires, etc.) were 
taken from time to time. But it was not until the 
siege was nearing its close that any systematic attempt 
was made to photograph all of the most interesting 
things. Although the attack on us was daily grow- 
ing more desperately savage, we yet had word that 
foreign troops were on their way to our relief, and so 
we then fully expected that the most of us would be* 
rescued ; therefore the British minister. Sir Claude Mac- 
Donald, and the General Committee of Public Safety 
took steps to have the scenes photographed. There were 
several small cameras amongst the people within our 
lines, but only one good large one. This was owned 
by a Japanese professional photographer who had taken 
refuge with us. He was a skillful photographer, but 
lacking in courage, and when requested to take the 
photographs refused to do so because of the exposure 
to firing by the enemy and consequent risk of life. Mr. 
Killie, wlio was one of the "five fighting parsons," as- 
sociated with Mr. Gamewell on the Fortifications Com- 
mittee, was then asked if he would undertake it. He 
was glad to do so, and therefore was relieved from work 
on the forfifications, and assigned to this duty. The 



SIEGE DAYS 293 

Japanese camera was turned over to him, as well as all 
of the photographic plates, outfit and chemicals found 
in the foreign store. But, alas, the camera was 10x12 
inches in size, and the plates were all 8x10, and there 
were no ^"^kits" for using these smaller sizes. So it 
seemed for a time as if the difficulty would be found 
insurmountable, and with an abundance of plates, we 
would still get no photographs. But presently Mr. K. 
found some thin sheets of cardboard, and the way was 
then clear. By taking a number of sheets of 10x12 
cardboard together, cutting out an opening the size of 
the 8x10 plate and then fastening a sheet with a slightly 
smaller opening in it over the front of this again, to 
hold the plate in, he was able to use 8x10 plates in a 
10x12 camera. The next difficulty was a dark roomi 
There was one in the grounds, owned by a British Le- 
gation student, but he refused to let Mr. Killie use it 
without payment ; so rather than make any trouble over 
it Mr. Killie and Mr. Fenn hunted up an empty room 
which they put in order as best they could. It was 
never satisfactory, and often leaked light, so that much 
of their work was done at night, and sometimes without 
a light, and if some of the plates were put in wrongly 
and the pictures taken on the back instead of the front 
of the film it was not strange, but no one but them- 
selves ever seemed to know the difference. And so from 
day to day views and groups were photographed until 
relief arrived. Our American Missionary group was 
the most difficult of all to secure, and it was appointed 
for the evening of August 14, and as relief arrived on 
that day all were wild with excitement and it was im- 



294 SIEGE DAYS 

possible to get people together for it. The next day- 
several ■unsuccessful attempts were made to take it, and 
it would have been given np in despair if it had not 
been for the preseverance of Miss Evans and one other 
lad}^, who, after much hard work, got 53 adults and 
children of our Missionary company together. It is 
unfortunate that all could not have been in the group, 
but they were quite beyond control at that time, and 
the next day had begun to scatter. — Mrs. C. A. Killie. 

An anecdote has been through the newspapers of the 
child who, when asked by a reporter whether any of 
the ladies cried during the siege, answered, "No, only 
one, and she was a Presbyterianf (Loyal little Con- 
gregational maiden.) That one had very good reason. 
She was a lady whose husband had been sent to a very 
perilous position, which meant almost certain death. 
And she had let him go most bravely, but after he was 
gone she went off by herself, where she thought no one 
would see her, to weep and pray. But children are 
everywhere, and one of them saw, and remembered, and 
told the reporter. 

The Children. 

The children were encouragement to all. Their happy 
faces, gay laughter and unconsciousness of danger urged 
even the most pessimistic to bear up and keep his fears 
to himiself. At the same time, our most anxious hours 
were for the little ones so dependent upon us. The 
thought of them in connection with massacre record 
is a mental experience which no parent wiU even now 
willingly recall. — Mrs. Inglis. 



SIEGE BAYS 295 

A box of nine dressed dolls had been sent by a little 
Canadian servant maid to a missionary for use in the 
work, and had been carried by mistake to the English 
Legation. What a godsend these same dolls were to the 
little foreign prisoners, the baby children of the besieged. 
It always seemed to me as if those dolls were just too 
precious in God's sight to be allowed to be lost. They 
were all dressed in samples, but so neatly were the odd 
pieces put together that it took some looking to find that 
out. It surely was a gift to the Lord Jesus in the begin- 
ning, and never were dolls more valued than these. 

Annie H. Gowans. 

Trials of the Children. 

It was rather trying for the children in the siege, but 
they were all very brave and tried to make the best of 
their surroundings. In their play they made forts and 
barricades, tiny flags and miniature sand-bags. Small 
cannon were invented, and one day they had a pitched 
battle.— Miss E. G. Terry, M. D. 

At night we women would sit on our beds on the 
floor in the total darkness — for lights were forbidden 
lest they draw the fire of the sharpshooters — and soothe 
as best we could our frightened children. 

Before long, however, a surprising indifference to the 
bombardment was developed in our little garrison. I 
remember that on several occasions children came in, 
bringing bullets all hot in their hands, and saying, "See, 
mamma, this just whizzed by me !" — Mrs. Chauncey 
Goodrich. 



296 SIEGE DAYS 

There was one little five-year-old, who was playing 
in the chapel where the missionary families were lodged. 
He was told not to make so much noise lest he should 
wake the haby. He answered, "Well, mamma, isn't it 
better for me to wake the baby than to play out doors 
and get shot?" So the little philosopher woke the 
babies many times after that. 

During attacks one of the ladies, to occupy the chil- 
dTen, would gather them into a comer and teach them 
to sing, "There'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes." 

Characteristic Speeches. 

All children old enough to remember anything about 
the siege have been asked to give their memories to add 
to this record of siege life. 

Even the babies soon became known by their cries so 
tha't we could tell in the night whose baby was crying — 
"an infant crying in the night, whose only language 
was a cry." Of course we cannot reproduce these here. 
But there were two or three of larger growth, just able 
to put a few Chinese words together (opportunities 
being equal, children always pick up Chinese more 
quickly than English), and these little tots soon be- 
came known each by a characteristic phrase. It was 
pathetic how in two of them, Ellen Ewing and Martha 
Fenn, this characteristic phrase came to be a call for 
the mother. When before had there been an ache or a 
pain not relieved by the coming of mamma? So, even 
though they might be in the mother's arms, the char- 
acteristic wail of these two poor babies was in the one 
case "Mamma lai," "Come mamma," and in the other, 
"Mamma pu lai," "Mamma does not come." 



SIEGE DAYS 297 

Ernest Chapin was a little larger, and able to frame 
an English sentence. One speech of his, many of ns 
will remember, as it so completely voiced the sentiments 
of all of us. It was in the early dusk of morning, and 
we had been trying to hold on to the tag-end of a dream 
with our minds, while with our hands we were engaged 
from time to time in smiting our brows. Suddenly a 
child's voice, in long-drawn accents of despair, rang 
through the chapel, "I don't like flies.'''' The little 
laddie may grow into a famous preacher some day, but 
never will he, in speech or sermon, so completely carry 
Ms whole churchful of audience vriih him as on this his 
first public address, delivered on the platform of the 
English Legation chapel. Of course he was promptly 
quelled by his anxious mamma, but not until each one 
of us said in our hearts, "So say we all of us." 

The Sick Babies. 

Mrs. Ewing writes thus of her own and other babies : 
Poor little Ellen is broken out with terrible sores on 
her shoulder and cheek. The dear child tried not to 
cry, but moaned "Baby hurt, baby hurt. Mamma put 
on medicine." She also has a chronic trouble over 
which medicine has no effect. She is too weak to stand 
on her feet and wants petting all the time. She screams 
"Go 'way, go 'way," at sight of the woman who tries 
to help me. Ellen's failing strength almost overcomes 
me. She is so poor that the skin draws over her little 
limbs, and I begin to fear I shall never get ber home, 
even though she has held out through the siege. Then 
in my Sunday reading came this verse to strengthen 



298 SIEGB DAYS) 

me, ^Tor God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but 
of power, and of love, and of a sound mind;" and I 
took courage and prayed far more faith. 

Poor little Miriam Ingram has some kind of skin dis- 
ease. She was bitten on her face badly, then scratched 
it, and the sore spread. Her face on one side is cov- 
ered, and more sores are coming on her body. The doc- 
tor gives no hope of cure until we get to a better place 
where the air is purer. 

Martha Fenn was very low with dysentery, but is 
better now. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

In an experience meeting one Sunday afternoon one 
of these mothers said with breaking voice : "It is com- 
paratively easy for us to bear hardships ourselves, but 
to look on powerless, and see our little ones go down 
into the dark valley" — ^we finished her sentence for her 
with our own silent prayers And these prayers were 
heard, and the life of the little one spared. 

''One Dead Lambf 

At times we wondered if the world outside had given 
us up, so long and deathly a silence did it maintain. 
We did not know of the hard fighting that they were 
having in Tientsin, or that the world was equally as 
anxious concerning us. 

The heavy firing continued day after day. We sel- 
dom disrobed, but lay down as we were — fell asleep 
only to be immediately roused by the bugles of the 
enemy around us, now near, now far, as though calling 
every soldier up for action; then nearer, nearer — then 
sudden silence for an instant, followed by a crashing 
fusillade again the walls and buildings. A pande- 



SIEGE DAYS 299 

monium of sound ensued, exploding bullets, flying tiles, 
crashing glass and the return fire from our guards, un- 
til the compound seemed lighted with streaks of elec- 
tricity. Amid it all, the clanging of our alarm bell, 
whistles blowing, which was the captain's signal for 
every man to be up who owned a revolver or a knife. 
Often he called, "Every man to his post, and those 
who have none, stand by their doors." And not once, 
but many times in those dark nights, my husband took 
his place in our little hallway while I could only creep 
across the floor in the darkness to where my baby lay. 
Often I knelt over her with closed eyes listening, wait- 
ing for the sound of a struggle outside the door, and 
then the end of all things. Only once did my old Wang 
jN'ai Nai break down, and it was in such a night as this. 
The attack was so bad up in our quarter that we had 
gone to the chapel. As we crouched together near the 
little pulpit, the old Chinese woman reached out and 
took the sleeping child from my arms, and I heard 
her sobbing softly. The bullets were being poured in 
upon us, and through the curtain of fire we could hear 
the demoniacal howls of the enemy, and the shrieks of 
ISr., a Swede, who had gone raving mad and was calling 
out that the day of God's judgment was at hand. Wang 
Nai Nai continued to sob and I could only say : "Xever 
mind, Wang Nai Nai, never mind; don't cry; it will 
be all right," and she answered brokenly: "I am not 
crying for us big folks; it is for the little lambs like 
this one." Wang ISTai ISTai's heart was much like any 
other tender woman's. 
About July 14 our little Elizabeth, who had fallen 



300 SIEGE DAYS 

ill, grew worse, and Lady MacDonald moved her guests 
around and took ns over into her main drawing-room, 
which was the brightest and best located of any in 
the compound. Here every favor was showered upon us 
by our kind hostess and her sister, Miss Armstrong, 
and in the sad days that followed I could never tell 
of all their goodness, nor do I wish to. I have it all 
yet, with that of my other friends, deep, deep in my 
heart. 

But the change of bedroom could not save the life 
of our child, and on the evening of July 22 we laid 
her beside the brave marines who died defending her. 
Wang ISTai N"ai need not have wept, fearing massacre 
for her little lamb and mine. When God so kindly 
took her into his bosom, I knew not whether to grieve 
or to give thanks, the future seemed so dark and uncer- 
tain, and I knew that dangerous days and nights lay 
between us and any rescue. But I never think of her 
that I do not think of old Wang Nai Nai, who came 
upon us in the dusk that night after everything was 
over. The tears were streaming down her withered 
cheeks, but taking me by the hand she said bravely: 
"Why do you weep, Yin Tai Tai? Don't you know 
that your child has gone to God? Don't you know 
that Jesus loves her? She is happy there." Thus 
she spoke, old Wang Kai Nai, the weight of nearly 
seventy years upon her, who in her youth had cast her 
dead babies into the streets, thinking, as other heathen 
mothers, that death was the end of all things for chil- 
dren. Then she had no hope, no expectancy of Eternity. 
Oh, Wang Nai Nai, what the love and acceptance of 



SIEGE DAYS 301 

Jesus Christ must mean to such as you, when you can 
take one sent to teach you by the hand and bid her 
look up in greater faith to God. — Mrs. J. Inglis. 

One Sunday afternoon a sorrowful company went 
slowly out to the little place that had become almost 
sacred, and the pathos of the scene may be imagined 
when by the side of the graves of those stalwart men 
a little grave was made for a baby girl. — Miss E. G. 
Terry, M. D. 

I shall never forget the beautiful kindness of one 
of the British marines. A mother, visiting the grave 
of her baby who had been buried only a day or two 
before, found the grave beautifully decorated. Looking 
up, she saw the marine watching her. After a moment 
he came forward awkwardly, and said: "Do you like 
it? Me and another fellow thought we'd like to do it 
for the baby.'' — Mrs. Chauncey Goodrich. 

One evening soon after the burial of little Elizabeth 
Inglis her mother's heart was moved at finding that 
fresh flowers had been laid upon the grave by an un- 
known hand, as well as a cross of lifelike forget-me-nots 
made from delicately tinted porcelain, and a broad 
white ribbon, inscribed : "Suffer little children to come 
unto me, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven. He 
shall gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in 
His bosom." 

Upon inquiry it was learned that, about daylight, 

the English Hospital orderly, young Mr. F , had 

been seen arranging the wreath. Asked if he were 
making it for one of the English soldiers, "No," he 
replied, "I am making this for Dr. Inglis' baby; not 



302 SIEGE DAYS 

only because I feel sorry for them, but because my own 
little baby was born and has died in the eighteen months 
since I was home in England. It was our first, so I am 
doing this for its sake." 

The same week Mrs. Inglis was approached by two 
British marines of "the better sort." They lifted their 
caps, and one said, stammering and blushing : "Madam, 
if you will permit us, we would like "very much to keep 
your baby's grave in order. We will brick it around, 
whiten the bricks and keep the ground level. We used 
to see your baby near the Bell Tower. He were a 
happy little chap, were'nt he?" 

"He called her sl boy, but a soldier cannot be ex- 
pected to know the identity of a baby," writes Mrs. 
Inglis. 'No wonder that these incidents deeply touched 
her heart, and, as she says, she "could hardly utter'^ 
her thanks to the fresh-faced English lad who had the 
father-heart though he could never see his child." 

children's corner. 

I have been asked to tell you what we did in Peking 
during the siege. I will first speak about our going 
there. It was very hard to leave my home in Tung-cho. 
I think most of all I hated to leave my books, for I 
had a great many of them. I had a bookcase of my 
own in my room and it was nearly filled. I spent 
most of my savings for books. On Christmas and on 
my birthday my papa and mamma always gave me 
books, and so did my missionary friends. Uncle George 
sent me a great many nice ones from America, among 
them two beautiful, illustrated copies of "Pilgrim's 




MR. AND MRS. F. W. WALKER AND ESTHER. 



SIEGE DAYS 303 

Progress," which I had read through two or three times. 
I would have liked to save these, but we did not have 
room for them in our trunk. I have made a list of the 
l)ooks I lost ; mamma gave me the prices and it 
amounted to over seventy-five dollars. I did not think 
of my dolls when we left. I was sorry after reaching 
Peking that I had not carried my best one in my arms. 
She was a lovely doll. Mamma gave her to me one 
Christmas. Miss Miner had dressed her in light blue 
Chinese silk. 

We left our home at night and did not have much 
time to get ready. We got to Peking just in time for 
breakfast. We went to the Methodist Mission because 
Dr. Ament told us that all the other missionaries were 
coming there. They did come that same evening. We 
were crowded here, though not as bad as in the Legation. 
We were in danger every night of the Boxers attacking 
us, so we slept in the large church which had been 
made into a fort; all the mothers and children slept 
there, while the gentlemen and ladies slept in the houses. 
Mamma said it would not be easy to take us into the 
church at night if we were attacked. During the day 
we played games and had a nice time. Grace Goodrich, 
Esther Walker and I were of an age and we were 
together most of the time. We girls played hide and 
seek and jumped rope; the boj^s played soldiers. We 
were very fond of the marines who came to guard us; 
the first week we had ten and after that twenty. Mr. 
Hall was our special friend; he told us stories. We 
expected Captain McCalla and his soldiers every day, 
but they did not come. 



304 SIEGE DAYS 



One morning we received word from Minister Conger 
to come to the Legation quickly. We could only take 
a few things with us. We all marched together, native 
Christians, schoolgirls, missionaries and marines. The 
sun was very hot. We were afraid the Chinese soldiers 
might shoot us on the way, for we saw lots of them 
with their guns, but they did not fire. We were glad 
to get safely into the British Legation. That same 
evening the Boxers and soldiers began shooting at us. 
We could not play much out of doors after we went 
into the Legation ; it was too dangerous. Esther Walker, 
whose home was in Peking, was able to save her dolls ; 
she had just returned from America and had some 
very nice ones, among them a Japanese doll. I liked 
this one because her hair was straight and I could 
comb and brush it all I wanted to. We would go off in 
a corner of the chapel and screen ourselves from the 
small children, who always wanted them when they 
saw them; the babies would cry for them. I forgot to 
tell you that all the American missionaries had their 
home in a little chapel ; there were seventy in all, fifteen 
children, five of them babies. But we did not play dolls 
all the time. We helped take care of the babies. I took 
care of my little sister every time it came mamma's 
turn to help with the housekeeping, which was every 
fifth day. One of our dear babies took sick and died. 
We all loved little Elizabeth Inglis very much. We also 
helped to make sand bags. I have forgotten how many 
I made. The pieces of silk that were too short for 
sand bags we used for making dolls' dresses. I have 
some samples of the cloth we made sand-bags of which 



1 



SIEGE DAYS 305 

I would like to show you. We did not have very nice 
food. I did not like to eat more than I had to of the 
horse and mule meat, mouldy rice and sour bread. 
Donald Tewksbury asked his mother once if he had 
to eat the stones, too, that were in the rice. Once in a 
while we had some pudding, but toward the last we 
did not have enough milk; it grew so scarce that only 
the sick and little babies could have it. 

After the Chinese stopped firing so much we could 
go out more; we liked to go down to the hospital and 
see the wounded men; those who were well enough 
were carried on their cots to the front door of the hos- 
pital. Mr. Hall was one of the wounded. Our soldiers 
held a place on the city wall, and we had to fortify it 
against the Chinese; he was helping when one of the 
Chinese sharpshooters saw him and fired at him, but 
at that minute he happened to lose his balance and 
fell backward, and the bullet cut his leg at the knee, 
just scraped the bone, and went through his coat close to 
his chest. We were thankful that he happened to be fall- 
ing or he would have been killed. His leg was stiff. He 
often came up to the chapel, after he could walk, and 
talked with us; we invited him to eat with us some- 
times, which he did. We all wanted to sit next to him 
at the table. Mr. Sylvia, who was a friend of ours, 
was shot in the arm; he will never be able to use his 
arm again. It was very sad to see all the sick and 
wounded soldiers. I knew Mr. Fisher who was killed. 
Sometimes we wrote letters to the soldiers who were on 
duty on the wall. We prayed for them very often, for 
they were at a very dangerous place and might be killed 



306 SIEGE DAYSi 

any minute. Only a few of them were Christians, but 
two or three others decided to become Christians while 
we were in siege. I hope you will pray for the soldiers, 
too; a soldier may be called upon any time to give 
up his life. After the troops came to our relief, I went 
with papa up on the wall. I could see for miles around 
Peking. 

After the troops had been there a week we left in 
army wagons for Tung-cho, where we expected to take 
a boat to Tientsin; when we passed the college we 
saw nothing but ruins; there had been rows of trees 
to border the walks, but there was not a tree to be seen. 
Papa went to see our compound, and had difficulty in 
finding the place where our house stood. We went to 
Tientsin in grain boats, which were large, flat boats 
with matting overhead for protection, but it was not 
much protection. It was very hot during the day, and 
one night it rained hard and I got soaking wet and had 
to lie that way until morning, as we had no dry bed 
clothing. From Tientsin we took an English transport 
for Japan. I am very glad to be in America, but I will 
go back to China when God wants me to. 

Ruth In'geam. 



SIXTH WEEK. 

I. Journals. 

II. Articles. 

Our Messengers. 

Odds and Ends. — Mrs. Arthur Smith. 

III. Children's Corner. — Marion Ewing and Henry 
Fenn. 

Wednesday, July 25. — I did not write yester- 
day. The night before was almost sleepless because 
of the heat, and yesterday I seemed to have come to 
the very end of my strength. Mr. Cockbum, who has 
some position in the Legation, so that liis home is here, 
has opened his library to us lately, and I have rested 
my mind and taken it away from present surroundings 
for a little by reading two or three stories. For all 
the first weeks of our stay here there was nothing what- 
ever to read, and it seemed so strange to be living 
absolutely without any books or papers. Of all my 
beautiful library I saved only my Bible, and that is 
the case with most of us. I do think of my books and 
of all my Bible-study notes, and of the beautiful pic- 
tures, gifts from you and other friends, with something 
of regret, and indeed of the dear home where so large 
a part of my life has been spent; my bedroom furni- 
ture, the gift of our Sunday-school people so long ago. 
I find I did care for my possessions, now they are in 

307 



308 SIEGE DAYS/ 

ashes, though their loss does not make me unhappj^ 
and I am glad that the really precious things cannot 
be lost. Of course, if we get indemnity from the 
Chinese government, as we may, many things can be 
replaced, but it will be beginning everything new. — Miss 
Andrews. 

This is the fifth week of our stay in this place — a 
five-weeks' siege. Some one told us long ago that sieges 
lasted six weeks, and it seems very likely to prove so in 
this case. The Japanese received word last week that 
a great army of 33,300 men were coming to raise the 
siege and avenge the insult offered to the various Lega- 
tions. I can readily believe the news, and also that 
our enemies themselves believed it, for a few days before 
the messenger succeeded in effecting an entrance we — 
that is to say, the ministers — received friendly over- 
tures from the Foreign Office stating their regret that 
so many of their houses had been burned, and offering 
them safe asylum in the grounds of the Foreign Office, 
only each Legation must come by itself and unaccom- 
panied by a single armed soldier. Fortunately the 
various Legations now know that they cannot deal with 
China just as with a civilized power. — Miss Ada Haven. 

July 26. — We have had it quiet now for over a 
week, except that they gave us a little chivaree two 
nights ago, just to keep their hands in. The quiet and 
safety of the week have been restful, though the weather 
has been rather hard to bear, especially for those not 
accustomed to the weather of Peking in the latter part 
of July. We are gradually getting ourselves more com- 
fortable in certain respects, though our supply of stores 



SIEGE DAYS 309 

is getting a little low in some particulars. To many 
it was a real cross yesterday morning to be obliged to 
take coffee with no milk, or no coffee at all. I resolutely 
turn away my thoughts from making out bills of fare 
that would suit my taste, or sighing for the departed 
strawberries of Tungchou. I am so anxious that the 
whole business should be finished up thoroughly, and 
the whole rotten structure of the present government 
be razed to the ground, that I am quite glad to have 
the siege continue till such time as the troops can 
come in sufficient numbers to accomplish the business 
properly. So when watermelons came in the other 
day, sent by the crafty Foreign Office in the name of 
the Emperor, I would not take a bite, but simply alluded 
to that little story of Mencius about the present of the 
goose, and "ni ni chih jru."* I stretched that same 
conscience of mine yesterday, however, when the water- 
melon rinds came on pickled. I regarded them as the 
gift of the housekeeping committee, for surely neither 
Foreign Office nor Emperor expected us to eat the rinds. 
— Ada Haven. 

July 27. — The siege furnishes one curiosity on 
exhibition to-day, a man wearing a cangue. Now a 
cangue in place looks like a large, heavy kneading board 

*Mencius tells the story of a man who for some reason 
that I do not recall would not give allegiance to the ruling 
official. The latter attempted to bribe the family by the 
present of a goose, but this incorruptible man would not even 
look at "that cackling thing," as he called it. One day after 
dinner some member of the family asked him if he knew 
what kind of meat he had been eating. On being informed 
that it was the flesh of "that cacklin thing" his very stomach 
proved true to his principle. The information acted like 
ipecac. 



310 SIEGE DAYSi 

with a man's head above it, and his body below it. But 
it was neither cangue nor man that formed the curio. 
It was the way the specimen was ticketed. In the 
first place the ticket was in English — a language 
hitherto unknown in this class of literature— and, sec- 
ondly, it announced that the abject object was a wife- 
beater. It is to be feared this did not cure him. Very 
probably he took it out of her for this disgrace when 
once they were outside of Legation walls. 

Twice presents of fruit have come from the "Em- 
peror" (?), and we judge by a telegram that came to 
Sir Eobert Hart that they have reported they were 
protecting and feeding us. We hear the Dowager 
Empress has three hundred carts waiting day and 
night.— Miss JST. N. Eussell. 

July 28.— To-day the small boy who was sent out 
with a letter in a beggar's bowl returned. He brought 
a letter from the English consul at Tientsin. It was 
a very unsatisfactory letter, for it tells us almost none 
of the things we are so anxious to know; says there are 
''plenty of troops in Tientsin." Of course, we thought 
that all the time, but what good do they do for us 
down there? "Ladies have almost all left Tientsin," 
etc., etc. One sentence puzzles everyone: "There are 
plenty of troops on the way, if you can keep yourselves 
supplied with food." What does he mean? On the 
way where, and what does one's food have to do with 
it ? These are questions which go flying from one ques- 
tioner to another. But the Chinese soldier who reports 
to the Japs is the fellow who keeps up our courage. He 



SIEGE DAYS 311 

comes daily and says our troops are nearing. — Mrs. H. 
S. Gait. 

July 29. — How little one knows one's own worth 
till one sees it in the estimate of others ! For instance, 
I never knew how much my head was worth until I 
saw it advertised on the bulletin board, copied from 
some Boxer placard. Thirty taels ! Not exactly thirty 
pieces of silver, but thirty ounces of silver. Dirt cheap ! 
Going — going — no, fortunately, not gone yet. It is 
worth more than that to me in its own place. I will 
keep it as long as I can. We can see, too, how much 
more valuable a man's head is than a woman's, for 
the reward on a man's head is fifty taels. A child's is 
only ten. 

July 30. — The crazy N'orwegian who ran away to 
the Boxers has been returned by them. On examination 
he confessed that he had told the Chinese soldiers that 
they were firing too high and if they wished to get 
proper range they should fire lower. We shall expect 
after this that they will fire lower. 

There has been much sickness. Two of our mis- 
sionary children have died, one is now very low, an- 
other nearly died and nearly all the grown people have 
been down sick for a few days. There are ten cases of 
dysentery in the hospital and three of typhoid fever. 
There will doubtless be many more, I was sick for ten 
da3's with dysentery, three days in bed. The question 
of diet for the sick and babies grows each day more 
and more a problem. Some have a little white flour, 
and a few tins of milk remain for them 



312 SIEGE DAYS 

One of the hard things has been that so many of the 
families have been separated one from another. Some 
husbands were here and their wives in America, which 
was the best. Others had their wives in some other 
place, but in the disturbed condition of things they 

knew not whether they were yet alive or had gone off. 

Mrs. E. G. Tewksbury. 

July 31. — Report came at noon that our troops had 
made another advance, and are only a short way from 
Tungcho. When that soldier reporter gets the troops 
within a few miles of us he will either need to light 
out himself or else it will be because his tale is true. 
He has them now witMn twenty miles, so we shall know 
how much truth he has been telling us before very 
long.— Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

OUR MESSENGEES. 

Accustomed as we were, even in peaceful conditions, 
to keeping up with the news of the world, of course 
we were now doubly anxious to resume relations with 
the rest of the world, now that our lives depended on 
it. Some of these messengers, the young student, the 
"haf ' messenger, the '^umbrella handle" messenger, etc., 
have been spoken of elsewhere. 

At first our plans were rather crude, not knowing 
the dangers to which the messengers would be sub- 
jected. For instance, one sent to meet the troops we 
were vainly hoping for was instructed when he met 
them to shout ''America" as a kind of countersign. He 
went about one hundred yards, when, meeting the native 



SIEGE DAYS 313 

troops, he shouted "America" and ran back to the 
Legation. 

The methods of concealment of messages are various 
and tax the ingenuity to devise. Once we sent a double 
message, one in English, using the Greek alphabet, 
and telling of our desperate situation, the other in 
English script and braggadocio style. 

One of the messengers was once asked, on his return, 
how he had succeeded in passing the Chinese sentry 
at their lines. He said: "I told them if they would 
conduct me to our lines I would show them where to 
find some silver. They knew, of course, that a great 
many wealthy families who had vacated houses within 
our lines had buried their silver in their courts before 
leaving, so they were very ready to take the bait and 
conduct me in." 

"And how did you satisfy them at last?" was the 
question. 

"Oh," he replied," when I reached our barricade I 
pulled out some pieces of silver the foreigners had 
given me as reward. My guides looked rather blank, 
but they could not say I had not told the truth, so 
they took themselves away." 

The following account shows how danger beset the 
messengers from first to last: 

By mistake three messengers were shot by our 
marines (at different times) while trying to reach us. 
We felt all along it was not improbable there was a spy 
in the Legation, as there were many servants in there 
who were not Christians, but went along from the other 
Legations. — Miss N. IST. Russell. 



314 SIEGE DAYS 

The following aecouiit of the Sunday-school boy men- 
tioned before as having been rescued by Dr. Ament is 
from the pen of Mrs. Whiting, many years a mis- 
sionary in Peking, and whose husband was present dur- 
ing the siege. We are going to ignore the fact that she 
gets the story second-hand. 

After days of bombardment in the Legation there was 
a call for volunteers to take a message to Tientsin and 
make known to the gathering armies the situation in 
Peking. Some messengers had already gone out and 
had been killed ; others had returned, saying they could 
not get through the lines of the Boxers. The Chinese 
boy volunteered. 

On July 4th, about the time when American boys at 
home were beginning to fire their earliest crackers, he 
was led to the top of the city wall. There a rope was 
tied round his waist and he was let down into the 
darkness. When he was on the ground, the wall, forty 
feet high, separated him from all the friends he had 
in the world. Before him was a walk of eighty weary 
miles, and he carried a message that would cost him 
his life if it was discovered. 

As it had been planned that he should go as a beggar, 
he had been dressed in rags and tatters, and provided 
with a large, coarse bowl, such as the native beggars 
carry. The precious message, written very small, was 
wrapped in oil paper, placed in the bottom of the bowl 
and covered with porridge. Even the most wily Boxer 
would hardly think to look there, and the boy had felt 
no concern about it until he had neared the bottom of 



SIEGE DAYS 315 

the wall. Then his bowl struck against some projecting 
bricks and broke in pieces ! 

He could not call back to his friends, for fear of 
rousing some sleeping enemy. So he carefully fished 
out the tiny parcel from the porridge, removed the oil 
paper, and, tearing a little piece from his ragged gar- 
ment, wrapped it, with the tiny note inside, around his 
finger, as if it were sore. Later he ripped the hem of 
his garment and slipped the note into it. 

Before long the boxers hailed and searched him, but, 
finding nothing, they said : "Let the little beggar go." 

His progress was slow, but always in the direction of 
Tientsin. Kindhearted native women gave him food, 
and he slept under the stars. All went well until, when 
about half-way on his journey, he stopped at a farm- 
house to ask for food. Now here dwelt a man whose 
farm hands had all left him and joined the Boxers; 
therefore he forced the boy to stay and work for eight 
days. 

By refusing to stay or by running away, the boy 
feared that he would excite suspicion ; but while he was 
working he was thinking how to escape without appear- 
ing too anxious to go. 

On the eighth day he would not eat his breakfast, 
but lay groaning and shamming illness. No doubt the 
rice smelled very savory to him before night, but he 
would not eat. Finally the farmer said, "You'll have 
to clear out of here. I can't afford to have you die on 
my hands." That man would have been surprised if 
he could have seen how briskly his invalid walked when 
some distance from the house. 



316 SIEGE DAYa 

The boy reached Tientsin to find it a scene of recent 
battle, with soldiers of the united nationalities standing 
guard everywhere. He wandered about for two or three 
days before he could get through the lines. He could 
not step -up to the soldiers and say : "I have a message 
for your general/ for they would not understand his 
language; but he finally succeeded in getting through, 
and he delivered the message to the British consul on 
July 22. 

Very soon after a reply was given him, and he 
started on his return trip. This was the message which 
he brought on a tiny slip of paper, addressed to Sir 
Claude MacDonald at the British Legation: 

"Your letter July 4th received. There are now 24,000 
troops landed and 19,000 here. General Gaselee ex- 
pected Taku to-morrow. Kussian troops at Peitang. 
Tientsin city under foreign government. Boxer power 
exploded. There are plenty of troops on the way if you 
can keep in food. Almost all ladies have left Tientsin." 

Our little hero's return trip was less eventful than 
the one going down, but he saw Boxers in every village, 
and on reaching Peking on July 28th, having been 
only six days on the return trip, he found it difficult 
to get through without attracting attention. However, 
just before daylight, he managed to crawl through the 
sluiceway under the wall, and a little later entered the 
British Legation. 

Perhaps no beggar ever received so hearty a welcome, 
but it did not puff him up with vanity. He modestly 
made himself useful in many ways, until the Legation 



SIEGE DAYS 317 

was relieved by the arrival of the armies from Tientsin 
on August 14th. 

He is now with the missionaries in Peking and it is 
to be hoped will receive a useful education. Then, with 
his brave heart and willing spirit, as well as his perse- 
verance in the face of obstacles, what may he not accom- 
plish for China? 

ODDS AND ENDS. 

The contents of houses, temples and what not were 
emptied into that hitherto aristocratic yard. Among 
these disreputable odds and ends were two things which 
were a boon to me. One was a battered and broken 
card, a green card. On it in tarnished silver letters, 
"My God shall supply all your need." The other was 
a huge sheet, too tender for sand bags. We draped it 
against the side of the church and the front porch, and 
it made a nice little tent where one could have all out- 
doors to breathe. An old piece of oilcloth from the 
church attic made the roof. The woman who slept, 
without a thought of complaint, in a closely curtained 
bed in a hall, and commanded no other space for bath- 
ing or dressing, she was the fairy godmother who 
divined what other folks needed, and found it some- 
where, in some abandoned house, and brought it. 
Through one of her miracles a nice long table, narrow 
enough to go in, and an easy chair soon found their 
way to the tent. After that, the master of our house 
condescended to bring his typewriter down, and there 
committees wrote motions and telegrams; there we 
had little prayer meetings and Christian Endeavor 



318 SIEGE DAYB 

meetings, and parties, and last of all, perched on that 
table, a crowd of us listened in breathless interest, after 
the troops came in, to the man from Tientsin who 
hnew things. He was more precious than a whole 
bag full of home mail, that man, and we swallowed 
his information whole, including the fact( ?) that P'ang 
Chuang was burned. 

Two trunks made the bedstead, an old unclaimed 
cushion the mattress, and on top of it the 
blessed children nestled for their little meetings. 
A dry-goods box with a shelf put in it by the obliging 
every-body's-friend, of the bell tower, was my wash 
stand and store room for the cocoa, milk and a box of 
candy, and over us all hung that promise of God's, bat- 
tered and bent, but true as the stars. What were the 
needs? Many and various. A little thin Portuguese 
had lost his appetite, and did so long for hacon! It 
seemed too preposterous, but I prayed, and a kind Brit- 
ish friend inquiring what he could do for me, I said 
''Bacon?'' doubtfully, and it was forthcoming. The 
recipient was grateful and later supplied me with many 
a luxury for the sick. I couldn't help overhearing 
sometimes in my tent. One day it was a pathetic inter- 
view between a troubled mother who just ''must have 
an 2g^' for her sick baby and baby's papa, who main- 
tained that there was no way to get eggs but to loot 
them, and he couldn't do that. I sprang to the rescue 
with my precious ^gg, the mother's face lit up for a 
moment, and then the light died out as she said, ''Mrs. 
E.'s baby needs it even more than mine; give it to 
her." I knew God meant it for this mother and made 



1 



SIEGE DAYS 319 

her take it, and to ease her tender conscience and loving 
heart, in half an hour someone gave her husband one 
for the other child, who looked in mamma's face with 
unquestioning faith and called for "another^' when it 
was done. One day my cook, who was weak and ill, 
brought me one some absent-minded hen had laid right 
in the midst of the big yard. That was the first time 
it was ever given to me to make two people happy 
with one egg. A sick baby could retain nothing but 
white of egg, so that part was given her, and the yolk 
served to a semi-invalid who longed for one, but wasn't 
sick enough to dare call for eggs. 

Between the marvelous little cook and thrifty house- 
wife in the diet-kitchen, who brought me savory messes 
which ^Vouldn't keep," and the kindness of one of the 
dear stewards (three ladies were the housekeeping com- 
mittee) in that little, hot back room, I often had lovely 
gifts for the sick servants, and for our students, who 
were hard at work all day, and ravenous for something 
to put their teeth through (their rations were all por- 
ridge). A chapter on odds and ends would be a glaring 
failure if it did not raise a triumphal arch over those 
three stewards, their ingenuity and economy and mar- 
velous patience, with m'any diverse needs of many sick, 
more hungry well folks and fading little babies. They 
work right on as steadily, through the most ghastly 
attacks, as if born chefs and always accustomed to 
working under fire. Sometimes, when everybody else 
had been attended to, they were but scantily served, 
though others generally meant to look out for them. 
Once our one wounded Christian woman longed for 



320 SIEGE DAYS 

some fruit, being nauseated and unable to swallow any- 
thing. Thanks to our generous friends in the American 
legation, we had a few tins of cherries and other fruit ; 
but we were prudent, and the name of the hungry folks 
was legion, so we had four large cherries apiece that 
night. Several ladies clubbed together and, saving 
theirs, made her half a cupful. The mulberries ripened 
in that summer sun. They were not ours to pick, but 
they continually dropped on the ground, from which I 
eagerly rescued them. A friend down by the gate house 
drank too much beer because he hadn't any tea, he said. 
I gathered our tea leaves, dried them on the roof of my 
tent, and kept him supplied with cold tea. On the 
Fourth of July we had badges of red, white and blue 
sewing silk. The children sat on my bed, heard about 
Goliath and ate candy, and the Boxers fired our crackers 
for us. The 18th was my husband's birthday. My old 
green card never failed me. God had foreseen every- 
thing from the egg that needed to be laid in the middle 
of the yard to the two birthdays to be provided for. I 
found a scrap of brocaded blue silk and rescued it from 
a sand bag. The dominie never has dusters enough, so 
we made him one more. Clever Dr. I. designed the 
embroidery and the dear Methodist school girls worked 
it. In the center were his initials in gold silk; at the 
left, a cannon; at the right, a musket; above, a pile 
of sand bags loop-holed; below, the date; on the left 
of it, a pile of cannon balls ; to the right, Psalm 1-03 :4-- 
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who 
crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mer- 
cies." That, and a pin ball, and a chance to sit by 



SIEGE DAYS 321 

me and eat that night, instead of my waiting on the 
table, so went birthdays in July, 1900. One of my 
most blessed odds and ends was an old kerosene stove 
given by a Peking friend. On this I made bran coffee 
for the delicate digestions, and cooked for the sick 
servants and my insane patient. Some of the Master's 
providing was so pathetic. The missionary family with 
the little one recovering from smallpox were given a 
veranda, or at least about six feet square on it, close 
to the main gate, to keep house, the four of them. The 
pastor hung up some blankets, to make a little sug- 
gestion of privacy, and they praised the Lord for all 
His mercies, and were never heard to grumble once, 
though the gentleman had to lie cross-wise to be able 
to stretch out, and after the Chinese got the range of 
the gate a shell fell on their veranda. The baby was 
put to sleep in an old shoe box and covered with a frag- 
ment of old lace curtains to keep off the flies. Poor 
little thing! One disease after another besieged the 
small, suffering body, until one morning they carried 
away from the veranda another little box, longer and 
with a cover. The tiny body was beautifully robed, for 
a sad-hearted Presbyterian mother whose little darling 
had just gone where joy is forever new and dresses 
never grow old brought out little saint Elizabeth's dress 
for Baby B. The sad parents followed the English 
service with some difficulty, but when the children 
gathered round the tiny grave and sang ''^Bright Jewels" 
in Chinese, and the baby's sister sang, too, then we 
all seemed one. 

It seemed a queer choice to some, but I insisted on 



322 SIEGE DAYS 

saving my concordance as well as my English and Chi- 
nese Bible. What a mine it was. There were 119 
school girls with only one Testament and one hymn- 
book ! Also many chnrch members over in the Fu had 
no books at all. The dearest dnty of every day was 
finding a message of cheer and making many copies, 
one for the front door of the church for the mission- 
aries, one on the bell tower for the community folk, 
one on the front gate for the marines and passers-by, 
one for our wounded missionary, one for a shut-in 
official, one in Chinese for the window where the 
servants washed the dishes, one for the besieged and 
sorely harassed Christians in the Fu, and occasional 
ones to the girls. 

Here are a few of these which comforted and steadied 
us: ''I shall not die, hut live, and declare the worJcs 
of the Lord/' "For I, saith the Lord, will be a wall of 
fire round about her, and will be the glory in the midst 
of her." "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
Cometh in the morning." "He shall deliver thee in six 
troubles, yea in seven there shall no evil touch thee." 
"In famine He shall redeem thee from death, and in 
war from the power of the sword." "Strengthened with 
all might unto patience and long-suffering with joyful- 
ness." "Ye were made a gazing-stock both by re- 
proaches and afflictions." "I will contend with him 
that contendeth with thee, and all flesh shall know 
that I am thy Savior and Eedeemer." "Be strong and 
of a good courage, fear not nor be afraid of them." 
"Glorify ye the Lord in the fires." "The Lord shall 
preserve thy going out and thy coming in." "Behold 



SIEGE DAYS 323 

He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." 
"^"0 weapon formed against thee shall prosper." (The 
terrible gnn that threw shell into our gateway was sud- 
denly silenced.) ^^He giveth power to the faint, and 
to them that have no might he increaseth strength." 
"Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 
"Be content with such things as ye have." (Provisions 
low.) "He doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the 
children of men." (Baby B. lying in its little casket.) 
"So there was great joy in Jerusalem, and their prayer 
came up unto Heaven." (The day after the troops 
got in. "Old things are passed away, behold all things 
are become new" (when we passed out into a city of 
ashes and ruins). — Mrs. Arthur H. Smith. 

CHILDREN'S CORNER. 

Marion Ewing's Memory of the Siege. 

When we left home we could have hardly any of our 
things. There was a Chinese that drove the wagon. 

In the siege Ellen was sick, and she almost died. 
Some nights papa slept on the table, so as to be near 
mamma to help her. I slept with mamma on the 
benches (I say "benches" because there were two). 
There was a mattress on the benches. I slept all right, 
but mamma didn't, because Ellen waked her up. Ellen 
cried, and that waked mamma up. I heard the men 
firing off the guns in the night. I said : "I wish those 
Boxers would stop shooting us." The Boxers made a 
great big noise by firing their guns off. It was very 
hot, because there were so many of us in one small 
place. I slept right by a window. 



324 SIEGE DAYS 

When I woke up in the morning there were a great 
many flies; and they buzzed very much; and they bit 
us. They ate up our food for us, there were so many. 
We had to blow them away. Mamma lost a spoon there. 

We had horse meat to eat, and rice. The rice was 
brown. No, I did not like it. I liked the horse meat 
very much; I did, really and truly. Mamma said I 
would have to eat the rice all up before I could have 
any more horse meat. We ate where papa slept, because 
he slept on the dining-room table. The dining-room 
was the same thing as the sleeping-room. 

I went out to the bell tower, and there were some 
other children that I played with. That was all the 
play house we had, and it was a very good one, too. We 
made dolls with our handkerchiefs; I just doubled it 
up, and played that was a doll.* 

Near the gate there was a house; and some of the 
children that I played with lived there. Between that 
house and where we stayed there was something like a 
house without any walls, and we played in that when 
it rained. The pillars held the roof up. 

There was a road around and a good many houses 
on it, and papa and I took a walk on that road. I went 
over where Elizabeth was buried, and papa showed me 
the place. 

There was a kind of tent place fastened to the build- 



*NoTE BY Mamma — That play -doll was something I had 
never heard Marion speak of before, but the little ones must 
have misseed thir dolls and books and toys just as we older 
ones missed some of our valued treasures. 



SIEGE DAYS 325 

ing where we lived, and we had a meeting there every 
Sunday afternoon for the children. Miss Sheffield 
led one Sunday, and she taught us to sing. Mrs. Smith 
led another Sunday, and taught us a prayer and a 
song, too. 

One day I went to where they killed horses for us to 
eat. Mamma told me not to go, but I forgot all about 
it. When I came back I told mamma about it. I saw 
them kill the horse. 

The American soldiers came after the siege. We 
only had to wait a week ; but it seemed like a month to 
us, because we had so much trouble. I went for a walk 
with papa, and I saw something that papa told me not 
to look at because it was so bad. 

That is all I remember about the siege. — Marion 
Ewing. 

I do not remember much about the siege, but I re- 
member how we used to go out in the morning and 
gather our hats full of bullets that had fallen during 
the night. We boys had cartridge belts into which 
we put them. There were a good many curious shapes 
among them. I remember, too, how we used to make 
sand-bags and pile them up into little forts in front of 
the chapel. We used to fight sham battles with the 
boys who were living across the road. That used to 
be fun, but when the real fighting began they used to 
send us indoors. Then we had to be qu"iet for fear of 
disturbing the babies. I think I would rather have 
staid outside and run the risk of getting shot. I remem- 



326 SIEGE DAYS 

ber going up on the city wall after the troops came 
and eating a ripe date that I found growing there. We 
etood in the tower over one of the gates and saw another 
one on fire. — Henry Courtenay Fenn. 



SEVENTH WEEK. 

I. Journals. 

II. Articles. 
Songg. 

The Bright Side. 
Later Conditions of Siege Life. 
Our Chinese. 
a. School Girls. — Mrs. Jewell 
&. Other Christian Chinese. 
III. Children's Corner. — Donald Tewkshury. 

Aug. 1. — A message is in from Tientsin. It seems 
the reports we have been hearing from Tientsin are 
absolutely untrue. The troops are to leave Tientsin 
somewhere about the 28th or 29th. We have still a 
long waiting time before us. This has been the way 
all through these two dreadful months, that our hopes 
have been raised and then dashed to the ground. — Miss 
J. G. Evans. 

Aug. 2. — Yesterday morning the Chinese soldier 
who has been keeping our courage up with his fine re- 
ports came in and said our troops had retreated eight 
or ten miles. From all he said they decided he must 
have been telling falsehoods aU these days. A messenger 
came directly from Tientsin last evening, one whom 
the Japs sent out July 23. He left Tientsin the 

827 



328 SIEGE DAYS 

26th, and says the foreign army will start in two or 
three days. The delay has been caused by difficulties 
in procuring transportation. I have no doubt there 
are political international troubles which hindered their 
starting quite as much as difficulties in getting mules 
and carts. Why can't they leave these international 
parrels alone until they relieve us, at least ? But then 
we do not know what they at Tientsin may have had to 
deal with, how many difficulties to overcome, or how 
much fighting to do. We all wonder whether we shall 
have to be here after it gets cold. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

Aug. 3. — Last night was a memorable night — for 
we received the first authenticated news that the troops 
were really on the eve of starting. Of course, great 
excitement prevailed. I was in the ballroom when the 
messenger first came in, having gone up to see Miss 
Russell, who was ill. All at once I heard sounds in 
the distance. I said: "That sounds like cheering," 
but did not dare to dwell on it too much, fearing to 
arouse false hopes. We have had enough of that 
lately, with the lies furnished at $30 per diem by a 
soldier of Tung Fu Hsiang's who pretended he got 
them from the army spies. He had got the foreign 
army up as far as Chang Chia Wan, and then, fearing 
his deceptions might be proven by the non-appearance 
of the soldiers, did not dare to bring them up any 
farther, but had them retreat to Ma T'ou. The com- 
pany meanwhile followed anxiously the supposed move- 
ments of the grand army, tracing its course on a map 
carefully prepared by Dr. Ingram and hung up on the 
bulletin board. But the people were beginning to get 



SIEGE DAYS 329 

a little suspicious of him (the soldier, not Dr. Ingram), 
and to wonder how the Chinese forces could defeat such 
a large army as was said to be coming to our relief. 
Then, as I say, in came a messenger, our o^vn messenger 
— a Methodist man, sent down eleven days before to 
Tientsin. Hearing, as I say, the cheering, I proposed 
to my companion that we take a little walk. We went 
down the avenue, and I was struck with the happy 
look on the faces of the Europeans we met. The street 
reminded me more than ever of a boulevard in a foreign 
city — the bell tower taking the place of the band stand. 
This same bell tower is the congregating place, for 
here hang the bulletin boards with military and market 
notices; advertisements of goods, lost and found, trans- 
lations of imperial edicts from the Peking Gazette, 
items of news, true or false, that may have drifted over 
the barrier, etc. This time the place was astir. Going 
up to a group and inquiring, we heard that Mrs. Ed. 
Lowry had received a letter, and afterwards heard that 
Sir Eobert, Major Conger and Captain Myers also had 
received letters. These last did not seem so strange, 
as the diplomats had had letters from the Tsung Li 
Yamen and even home telegrams from their govern- 
ments. But that Mrs. Ed. Lowry should receive a 
letter from her husband made it seem as if we really 
were living on this mundane sphere after all, instead 
of in some Mars-like sphere where the only possible 
communication could be by flashlight, and that only 
made reciprocal in case the other sphere happened to 
have chemicals suitable to respond, and to possess the 
code. By the way, our disappointment had been keen 



330 SIEGE DAYS 

two or three days previous, when Sir Eobert had re- 
ceived a telegram (in cipher) of sixty words from 
London, and been unable to read it, as the key to the 
cipher had been burned up. But to-night the letters 
the man ripped out from between the straw braids of 
his hat brought joyful news— 10,000 troops ready to 
start — others to follow— particulars about Tientsin 
siege and cheering exhortations to hold out. One letter 
from the leader closed, ''God grant we be not too late.'' 
That went to our hearts, showing the General loved 
God and his fellow men. 

I cannot say I did not envy Mrs. Ed. one wee bit for 
her letter. But I have not said much of the news we 
received. As one after another was deciphered it was 
brought out to the bell tower and read to the assembled 
crowd. They are posted now on the bell tower bulletin 
boards. It was 10 p. m. before the last letter was an- 
nounced to the excited group about the gate-house. 

One other thing had occurred during the day to 
make it memorable — the taking by the Germans of the 
piece of ground just back of Mr. Cockburn's house. It 
was a case of quiet possession rather than storm. Find- 
ing the place deserted, they went in and built their 
barrier on the further side. The capture of this new 
piece of territory is a great gain to us, as it will enlarge 
so much the distance between us and the enemy. We 
fortified at once, and an inclined plane was built to 
the top of the wall behind the Cockburn house, and a 
platform at the top. The Italian gun was run up this 
plane, and now stands under a little booth at the top, 



SIEGE DAYS 331 

well sand-bagged, of course, on the exposed side, and a 
soldier is there on watch all the time. 

Our newly taken property was guarded only by four 
dead Chinamen, evidently lying there for six weeks 
unburied. It reminds one of the Ancient Mariner. 
Many fine garments were found here which were 
brought to Dr. Ament. — Ada Haven. 

The messenger says that in Tientsin they are using 
bags of rice for barricades, good white rice, I suppose. 
Think of it, when we have been eating just as little 
as possible, and saving white rice for those who were 
sick. Of course they seized the grain boats and can 
live high. Perhaps they will bring us some. No one 
can tell just when they may come, for in small places 
the enemy are preparing to make as strong a stand as 
possible. There may be great loss of life. This seems 
to be the most authentic message we have received. 
One of the ladies had a letter from her husband, who 
has been in Tientsin all these weeks. How happy she 
is ! Even if this had been no particularly good news, 
I feel as if my joy for her would be enough to set me 
up for a week. It is very interesting the way in which 
this messenger carried his letters. He had a large 
straw hat, the brim of which was made double. Two 
sheets of waterproof silk were put between the layers, 
and the letters were between these. Of course he was 
searched, but fortunately no one thought of that place 
to look.— Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

At last our men saw the Cliinese were going to 
make an attack before long, and they concluded they 



332 SIEGE DAYS 

would give them a surprise. At 3 a. m. August 3, they 
made a dash, and it was a grand victory, won by the 
Americans, as the Russians, who were to help, failed to 
carry their side. Since then our men have had no use 
for the Russian soldiers, — Miss N. N, Russell. 

A statement was sent to the Foreign Office of the 
number of times we have been fired upon since the 
truce. The answer returned was that the guns fired 
were the morning and evening watch-setting!! — Miss 
J. Gr. Evans. 

August 4, Saturday. — The news of the day before 
yesterday was still enough to live on. To-day the ques- 
tion came up whether we should beg the enemy to 
send watermelons, eggs (2,000), several sheep, a cow 
or two and a number of other articles per diem for the 
use of the women and children, but was vigorously 
protested against by the ladies, who said if the men 
wished to ask for these themselves they must do so in 
their own names. Some among us even characterized 
such doings as dishonorable and unworthy. It was said in 
answer that this was to be merely palaver, just to talkee 
talkee with Tsung Li Yamen (Foreign Office) and 
keep them busy till the troops came. Finally they 
chose another topic for debate, namely, the going down 
to Tientsin, the Yamen urging the departure of the 
ministers. The ministers responded that they must 
have three days to send telegrams to their home gov- 
ernments, and then three days to wait for replies, for 
they had no right to leave their posts except by authority 
of their governments. The Yamen granted them per- 
mission to prepare such telegrams. 






SIEGE DAYS 333 

Aug. 5, Sunday. — I have just finished breakfast, 
and the Presbyterians and Methodists are just having 
theirs. So I am sitting at the chapel door, using Mr. 
Hobart's chair and the ink on his little round table, 
while he is eating. He usually sits here to give out 
breakfast and dinner tickets to the squads of Chinese 
workers returning from their work. 

There goes a body of British marines, just off duty 
at the Han Lin, their measured tramp causing me to 
lift my eyes. British and American boys can be told, 
even in motley uniform, by their manly bearing. It 
makes one proud of one's race. 

The week is sure to be a most eventful one, and we 
shall watch with our prayers for the coming of the 
troops, so many of whom, we fear, must lay down 
their lives for us before we can be rescued. 

Some one showed me what I had not noticed before, 
that on the little gable-peak over the entrance to the 
chapel the dragon perched on the top had been sore 
wounded in the back by a cannon ball. Then, looking 
up at the top of the church, I myself noticed that the 
cross on the top was absolutely intact. Later in the 
day some one noticed that this cross was standing on a 
dragon. I did not recognize the thing because its head 
had been shot off. But when my attention was called 
to it I saw that other parts were just the same as that 
of the creature below — unmistakably a dragon. What 
more forcible illustration of "In the cross of Christ I 
glory, towering o'er the wrecks of time," or, "But 
the cross is standing yet" ? I have been trying in vain 
to recall the preceding lines from "Hallelujah for the 



334 SIEGE DAYS 

cross" ; I only remember that they exactly describe our 
circumstances. One topic up for conversation to-day 
was a medal to be struck off in commemoration of the 
siege. 

Dr. Walker preached to-day, showing how the events 
of the summer had fallen out for the furtherance of 
the Gospel. He compared our circumstances with Paurs 
list — stopping after each item, as he read the list to 
check off in one way or other — as '^perils by sea" (some- 
times) ; '^perils by robbers" (not many of us) ; 
''stripes" (probably none of us) ; ''perils among false 
brethren" (yes) ; "perils by the sword" (yes) ; "hun- 
ger" (not often) ; "nakedness" (never) ; a haphazard 
list as I give it; as he read it from the Bible it was 
quite effective. The sermon also was most compre- 
hensive. Afternoon Bible reading led by Mr. Fenn. — 
A. H. 

One does not know iVhat is coming. The Chinese sol- 
diers are friendly. One said to Mr. Tewksbury, "We 
are like dead men, you are the living ones," showing 
how hopeless they considered their cause. — Miss J. G. 
Evans. 

Aug. 6, Monday .—Mr. Tewksbury in the morning 
showed us his design for the medal — Bell Tower on one 
side, with "Siege of Peking"; on the other side, a 
dragon, with "Mene mene tekel upharsin." 

At dinner, in his characteristic way, as soon as we 
had got far enough into the meal to make sure that 
the whole company were present, he clapped his hands 
to insure silence and announced his item of news. (We 
always know what it means when he claps his hands. 



SIEGE DAYS 335 

When the housekeepers clap their hands we know it 
is to make some such announcement as, "There is white 
rice this meal for those who cannot eat horse meat" 
Then everyone knows what it means, namely, that others 
are not expected to touch the white rice.) Well, to 
return to his item of news: "Many of you will be 
glad to know the substance of the letters recently ex- 
changed between the ministers and the Foreign Office. 
Having a chance to send telegrams to their govern- 
ments (for the purpose of procrastinating before the 
troops came), ten telegrams were handed in, in cipher, 
for the Foreign Office to transmit. They were to the 
effect that the government here insisted on the minis- 
ters removing from the capital, but they did not feel 
they could do so while the Chinese diplomats were still 
residing in their respective capitals, and also that they 
would not remove without receiving orders from their 
governments to do so. One telegram (not specified 
which) added that there need be no haste to reply to 
this telegram, as it was sent only to gain time." 

Yesterday Mrs. Mateer and I made an interesting 
trip. First we started to go over to the Russian Lega- 
tion to see the soldiers' graves. Our soldiers are buried 
there as well as the Russian, for that compound is per- 
manent possession, while the American Legation is only 
private property rented. They are buried in a quiet 
court. A statue marks the entrance to the court, sep- 
arated by some shrubbery from the back of the church. 
Following the path around to the side of the church, 
we came upon the graves, some on the level with the 
walk, some on a terrace slightly raised above the general 



336 SIEGE DAYS 

level, just at the base of the wall. A little American 
flag, as well as the English inscriptions on the simple 
wooden head-boards, proclaimed the site of our graves. 
The Eussians were marked by high wooden crosses, with 
three horizontal pieces, one put on at an angle with 
the rest, not parallel. These also had wreaths of arti- 
ficial flowers, and Christmas tree tinsel. One also had 
a birthday picture card tacked on the top. Inscrip- 
tions, of course, were in Eussian, all in script, not 
printed. 

Afterwards we went and swung the outer door of 
the chapel and looked through the inner glass doors 
into the little chapel, a dusky glow of color, from the 
high-up stained glass windows at all sides, and the gold 
and crimson of the oriental decorations at the back of 
the church. Then we climbed the bell tower, a great 
equare building in front of the church. The west side 
of the room at the top was broken by a ball and, stand- 
ing on the debris, we saw the ruins of the Chien Men 
(the great southern city gate). — A. H. 

Aug. 7. — It is sewing, chiefly, which now occupies 
my time. I have made one shirtwaist, and it has been 
greatly admired. The ladies are all after my pattern 
and asking me to help them make their things. It 
strikes me as being very funny. I am going to trim 
some hats, too. They are beginning to come in. It is 
fine to have my time so occupied. Since the arrival 
of the messenger from Tientsin last week there has 
been little going on. The "truce" (we speak of it in 
that way for want of a better term) still continues. 

One day last week our men took a new position where 



SIEGE DAYS 337 

they found a little more white rice. The new position 
included a man's home. He with his wife and eliildren 
probably, and one other person, were found dead. Be- 
side the bodies a can of opium was found, so very likely 
they had killed themselves in fear. 

Ever so many of our Chinese babies are dying of pure 
starvation. There is no milk for them, or food of any 
kind which is nourishing or good. It is pitiful. Five 
little foreign babies have died in all — one last night. Mr. 
Gait is making a little rough board coffin for it now. — 
Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

Today in the early morning the little Bok baby ( Swed- 
ish) died. ]N'ow, in the evening about twilight, the fu- 
neral is to take place. It is to be at the chapel, so the 
Presbyterian and Methodist supper was hurried up so 
that the chapel might be free between supper and bed 
time. I must go and attend it now. — Ada Haven. 

SONGS. 

One of the developments of this siege is the latent 
musical talent that has manifested itself. It started by 
Mrs. and Miss Woodward,* Mr. Hobart, and Mr. Verity 
forming a quartette to sing to the hospital patients. 
Then they began to sit out at the bell-tower in the even- 
ing and sing popular songs and hymns, in which every 
one joined. One night they sang "My Country, 'tis of 
Thee," and "Star Spangled Banner," then thinking that 
in such a cosmopolitan place the songs of no one nation 
should predominate, they asked the British marines to 



*Chicago people who were visiting Mrs. Conger. The other 
two are of the Methodist Mission. 



338 SIEGE DAYS 

sing ^^God Save the Queen/' and so it grew night by night 
till one night we had the national airs of Great Britain, 
the United States, Germany, France, Italy and Russia 
sung by representatives of each country. As "God Save 
the Queen," "The Star Spangled Banner,'' "Die Wacht 
am Rhein," the "Marseillaise," and "A Mighty Fortress 
is our God" floated out on the breeze in turn, and in 
turn were applauded by all the other nations, the effect 
was certainly thrilling and inspiring, and made one's 
patriotic blood flow quickly. It will be one of the 
memories of this siege well worth carrying away and not 
soon to be forgotten. — Mrs. Ed. K. Lowry. 

The following, ground out with our flour by our faith- 
ful miller, Mr. Fenn, was sung by the quartette, all join- 
ing enthusiastically in the chorus : 

A Song of the Siege. 

In the city of Peking, with its ancient walls of brick. 
And its streets for mud and filth afar renowned. 

We have been besieged for weeks, by a beastly Chinese 
trick. 
And the buildings all around us burned to ground. 

Chorus. — Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching ; 

Cheer up, comrades, they will come, 
And beneath our various flags we shall breathe fresh air 
again 

Of the freedom in out own beloved home. 

There are diplomats galore, representing foreign powers. 
And they cause the Tsung Li Ya-men anxious care. 



SIEGE DAYS 339 

They will neither march straight home, nor reside 'mid 
fruit and flowers 
Ati the Ya-men, though they've been invited there. 

They have poured in shot and shell with an aim so far 
from true 

That the most of us still live to tell the tale. 

Six pound shot and shrapnel fierce, walls and barracks 

passed through, 

Yet in every wild atack they always fail. 

From all nations have we come, on a peaceful errand 
bent. 

Be it preaching, customs, railroads, or what not, 
China wanted not our help, so she stupidly has sent 

For the Boxers to exterminate the lot. 

We've four hundred brave marines, who have borne 
fatigue and pain. 

And have seen some scores of comrades fall in death. 
And we feel it certain sure that no enemy can gain 

Our strong fortress while these men have vital breath. 

We have rice and corn and wheat, stores of grain for 
weeks to come. 

Pony steak and stew we find not bad to eat ; 
Why need we at all to count on Imperial favor's cnimb, 

Be it watermelons, squashes or fresh meat ? 

We've a cannon old and tried, from a junk-shop saved by 
chance, 
Which we fire upon the enemy with glee ; 



340 SIEGE DAYS 

When they first did hear her roar, how it made them 
hop and dance ! 
For '^our Betsy" is a wonder for to see ! 

We've been kept in best of cheer by the blessed ladies all, 
Who have worked with might and main to help the 
men. 
Of the wounded and the sick they have taken best of 
care, 
And have made a million sand bags lacking ten. 

There is news from Tientsin that our troops are ^^on the 
way," 
Three and thirty thousand men, of valor tried, 
So in joyful hope we wait, sure that they will bring the 
day 
Of relief to us, and death to China's pride. 

Chorus. — Tramp, tramp, etc. 

—Peking, July 26, 1903. 

And the following was one morning found posted on 
the bulletin : 

Rhymes for the Times. 

Away, away with the helm and greaves. 

Away with the leeks and cheese ; 
1 have conquered my passion for wounds and blows^ 
And the worst that I wish to the worst of my foes 
Is the glory and gain 
Of a year's campaign 
On a diet of leeks and cheese. 

— Lord Lytton, 



SIEGE DAYS 341 

Away, away with the pony and rice, 

But bring up the leeks and cheese ; 

Though I've conquered my passion for wounds and 

blows, 
Around us are numerous heathenish foes; 
So alas and alack, 
I wish I was back 
To a diet of leeks and cheese. 

— Not Lord Lytton. 

THE BRIGHT SIDE. 

There was enough of what was very ridiculous in all 
our experiences to keep us from dwelling only on the 
dark side; and I am afraid the brave soldiers who were 
coming to our rescue would have been quite disgusted 
to find us so cheerful, and indulging in so much laugh- 
ing and joking. 

Though feeling the gravity of the situation, and the 
solemnity of being always face to face with death, so 
that no grown person, even if we had time, thought of 
touching a piano or playing a game of any kind, yet for 
the sake of keeping up the spirits of others, if any one 
could do anything to add a glint of cheer, it was not re- 
pressed. For instance, one gentleman used to raise a 
smile on the worn face of the lady in waiting by replying 
to the question "boiled or unboiled" — "Give me water 
from the unbiled well," and the same one when he heard 
us worrying about how anxious our home friends would 
be about us, used to say, "Never mind. When they let us 
Dut you can imitate the example of Mark Twain and 



342 . SIEGE DAYS 

cable home: 'Eeports of my death greatly exag- 
gerated.' '' 

Once one of us tried to stir him up to make a parody 
on the old sqnib about the rhyme for Timbuctoo. One 
remembers of course how the wager was originally met 
thus — 

^^If I were a cassowary, 

On the shores of Timbuctoo, 
I would eat a missionary, 

Hat and coat and hymn-book too/' 

So this was slightly modified and passed on : 

^^If I were a missionary 

At the siege of Cambalu,* 
I would eat, like Dr. Wherry, 

Musty rice and pony stew/' 

This was passed over to our reverend friend with the 
remark, ''N'ow this is very terrible, — ^to lug in Dr. 
Wherry just to make a rhyme of him. He is no more 
given to eating these things than the rest of us. Now 
can't you do something better than that? What ought 
that missionary to eat, anyway?" 

At the next meal he passed up several written replies, 
all quite satisfactory. But alas, sufficient care was not 
taken in time to preserve them, and when looked for 
they were gone. Two years afterwards one of these re- 
plies was discovered in America. The lady who had 
charge of the cleaning that day had found this one, and 

*Peking. 



SIEGE DAYS 343 

preserved it as a relic, though ignorant of its '^raison 
d'etre'\- 

^'^Oh, if I were a mission- 

Ary a starving in Cambalu, 
rd summon some very distinguished physician 

To order eggs, milk and a sea voyage, too." 

That "chestnut" horse that kept us waiting while it 
was curried need not again be trotted out save to record 
the repartee of Miss Miner as she settled her knife and 
fork on the plate she held in her lap and composed her- 
self to wait, saying, 'Xet us hope it was a short horse." 

We smiled as we pinned each week deeper plaits in 
the bands of our dress skirts and drew our hunger-belts 
tighter. The less there was of us, the less the likeli- 
hood of being hit. When Dr. Gilbert Reid was hit, of 
course we were all much alarmed; but when we heard 
the wound was but slight, some commented on the supe- 
rior markmanship of the sharp shooter who could suc- 
ceed in hitting him, and they said if Sir Claude were 
to stand with his side to the fire of the enemy, he would 
be as invulnerable as a Boxer (though in actual loss he 
suffered less than our own s3Tnpathetic chief, who lost 
sixty pounds). 

Our ordinary speech took on a new phraseology from 
our surroundings : — any obstacle was a "barricade," the 
plural of a thristy mosquito or flea was "a combined at- 
tack," and having neither public store nor private store- 
room, what was procured in other ways, even legitimate 
ones, was "loot." 



344 SIEGE DAYS 

LATER CONDITIONS OF SIEGE LIFE. 

At first we lived pretty well, but as time went on stores 
decreased, the hope for a deliverance became less, and it 
seemed likely this state of things might continue for 
weeks. We had to go on rations, till now for some time 
since all milk, white rice, butter, white flour, etc., have 
been cut off. We are limited to four cubes of sugar a 
day, and our food is horse or mule meat, musty, husky 
rice, of which the smell was always enough, and Chinese 
flour bread. Our diet has but little variety, perhaps a 
few Chinese green beans or crackers, with a little jelly 
for dessert. "When it seemed certain that certain kinds 
of food would give out or even had already gone, the 
soldiers would advance their lines, seize new houses 
or shops, and in would pour sugar, flour, rice, etc., to 
relieve our need." — Mrs. E. G. Tewksbury. 

We have, by careful living, food enough to last three 
weeks longer. Of course it is food very different from 
what we would have if in our homes. The only meat 
has been horse-meat, until yesterday, when a cow was 
killed. The horses belonged to the Legation people, and 
there are enough to last ten days more. I believe they 
kill two a day. — Miss N. N. Eussell. 

The quantity of horse meat being cut down to half a 
pound per diem for each person, will affect our meat- 
loving English cousins more than it does us. I do not 
notice the difference. We always have some one thing, 
at least once a day, from the canned goods. Each one 
may perhaps have only a few bites, but it helps the rest 
down. And there is always a plenty of bread (from 



SIEGE DAYS 345 

brown Chinese flour ground here) and red rice, so one 
need never suffer from hunger yet awhile. — Miss Ada 
Haven. 

Our mouths also grew sore, so it was hard to eat 
enough of the coarse bread to satisfy hunger. But while 
our food did not improve as time went on, our lodgings 
certainly did, thanks to Yankee ingenuity, some in- 
stances of which are described below. 

We have a punka fixed up today. Do not know what 
that is, and can you find it in the dictionary? I don't 
know whether it is a Chinese, English or Indian word. 
Well, it is a big fan hung from the ceiling, and pulled 
by a Chinese boy. We hoped it would shoo away the 
flies, but it only seems to cool the air, which is some- 
thing. I wish we could have it going all night, only I 
would be sorry for the Chinese boy. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

The following shows a further improvement on this 
invention : 

For these punkas the theater scenery was used, with 
fringes of newspapers to help scatter the flies. We could 
not have them pulled all the time, but to be able to eat 
without a swarm of flies on the table was comfort in- 
deed. — Mrs. Ewing, 

Tlie same ingenuity that adapted that useless stage 
scenery and those piles of newspapers that had filled 
valuable space in the loft of the church, and the same 
thoughtfulness for the rights of others that induced our 
missionary carpenter, Mr. Gait, to climb up and drive 
the nails for hanging them on the tops of beams and 
cornices so as to leave no wound in the walls, also pro- 



346 SIEGE DAYS 

vided eventually for tlie pulling of that punka so as not 
to take valuable brawn from the defences. After the 
thing was fully systematized, it was pulled part of the 
time by a lame Chinaman and part by a blind one. It 
was sometimes pulled also in the half hour when the 
babies were being put to sleep at night. 

The Bell Tower. This fateful place, from which the 
alarms rang, fast for fire and slow tolling for general at- 
tack, now during the armistice ceased to fill us with 
dread and we used to gather on its triple platform, to 
discuss the events of the day, or to copy the notices or 
public letters which covered its sides. Almost all these no- 
tices were in English, even though this language might 
not always be the vernacular of the bill poster, as per 
sample : "At the place said, The Tunnel,' there is now 
eight o'clock horses debris deposed. This is very bad 
for salubrity. Please Comity [committee] do necessary, 
some observations for filth." Sometimes, however, an 
important notice would appear in the three principal lan- 
guages, English, French and German. Many of these 
showed a strong siege flavor, as the one urging the duty 
of replacing any brick that one might temporarily, for 
the sake of making obversations, remove from a loop 
hole. After it became too dark to copy edicts, gazettes, 
etc., one could amuse one's self looking down upon the 
crowd below, passing on the Boulevard. Here are some 
Chinese returning with their shovels, to exchange them 
for dinner-tickets. Here is a new group among those 
going to take an airing, some Japanese ladies and a 
toddling baby, looking like a bright flower blowing in 
the wind. We had supposed Japan was represented only 
by men. But this armistice brings the ladies and 



SIEGE DAYS 347 

children out. Here, too, is the result of a notice we 
have just read on the bulletin, that after a certain date, 
now past, all dogs weighing over seven pounds will be 
shot if found running at large. That is with a view to 
the benefit of the Christian Chinese, and to remove said 
dogs from the list of eaters to the list of eaten. The 
result is seen in a big, strong dog going about the com- 
pound leading a little European lady about by a string, 
and sometimes he leads her a chase, to be sure. Here is 
a little index of the length of time we have been in the 
siege, little baby "Siege,'' going past wheeled in his car- 
riage by his mamma. He was born after we had been 
in the siege a week. — A. H. 

Attic. There is an attic over this church which has 
been filled up with all sorts of rubbish. For several weeks 
some of the men have been sleeping up here, because it 
was dangerous out in the whizz of bullets. One day last 
week a bright idea came to some of them, that part of 
the ladies, also, might sleep there. So a lot of the rub- 
bish has been cleared out, and by means of curtains, etc., 
little rooms have been made. A long passage way leads 
down each side of the attic room. It is about five feet 
wide. On the east side there are windows, and here Mr. 
Gait and I have about nine or ten feet for our apart- 
ment. It isn't very cool or very clean, but it is a tiny 
bit of a place we can have for our own. We have a bed 
fixed up, too, so we are not right down on the floor, as 
we have been for so many weeks. By the time we are 
ready to leave this place we shall be quite comfortable, 
perhaps; no one will be sorry to leave, however. — Mrs. 
Gait. 



348 SIEGE DAYS 

For many days and nights we have had real quiet, and 
oh_, it is havenly! All those days (of hard firing) I 
stuck close to the chapel and then when quiet came and 
we fixed up a room upstairs, I had a young Chinese 
woman to come over and help me sew. I have made 
thirteen garments since coming in here. We who had 
been so well off for clothes were almost destitute of even 
the necessities, hardly a change of the things we were 
fortunate enough to have one of. — Mrs. E. G. Tewks- 
bury. 

OUR CHINESE. 

School Girls in the Siege. 

"There are two sides to every story .^^ The story of* 
the siege in Peking has many sides. For instance, it has 
been said that all the foreign gentlemen made agree- 
ment, in case we were overpowered, to shoot the foreign 
ladies in order to save them from the hands of the Box- 
ers. Again, a young lady reported that we suffered no 
inconvenience during the siege except that there was 
some difficulty in getting laundry work done ! With 
these and a few other exceptions, the varied accounts 
are but different phases of the one story as seen from 
the standpoints of the various reciters. I tell this story 
from my view point. 

The first week in June, when we found our exit from 
Peking was cut off, I think the American Board and 
Methodist ladies felt like congratulating Miss Newton 
of the Presbyterian Board that she had not one of her 
school girls left in the school. All had gone out of the 
city. The American Board had about twenty girls, and 




MISS E. SHEFFIELD. 



SIEGE DAYS 349 

the Methodist, one hundred. The storm of wrath was 
closing in on all sides. 

We, of the Methodist Board, had planned to send our 
girls home in small companies under the escort of the 
native preachers as they returned from the Conference 
held in Peking the last of May. The tearing up of the 
railroad prevented this. That event then seemed like 
the most unkind thing that could have befallen us, 
which proves how little we know what is best. It was 
the forced stay in the siege which saved our girls from 
a still more horrible summer outside and, no doubt, 
many from death itself. 

When, according to the general decision and the ad- 
vice of Minister Conger, the American missionaries all 
congregated at the Methodist Mission premises. Miss 
Haven and Miss Sheffield came with the American Board 
school girls. A few days later several of Miss Newton's 
girls came, driven in by the fury of the Boxers outside. 
After going to the British Legation, three pupils from 
the' Church of England Mission joined us, making alto- 
gether one hundred and thirty girls. 

We were in a state of partial siege at the Methodist 
Mission until the 20th of June. The premises were too 
large for our small guard to attempt to hold. It was 
decided in case of attack to abandon the Women's 
Premises, which were on the south side of the alley, and 
all go to the compound on the north side. The church 
there was made into a fortress so that if necessity re- 
quired the women and children could take refuge in it. 
One of the entrances to the church we filled with rice, 



350 SIEGE DAYS 

which both barricaded the door and insured food sup- 
ply for the schools. 

All the belongings of the Methodist girls except what 
were in constant use were packed away for safety in the 
North Compound. The girls from the other schools left 
behind them all but present necessities when they came. 

Watchmen (or women) were on duty all day ready to 
give the alarm to us on the Women's Premises in case 
of approach of the enemy. The girls held themselves 
in readiness to fly to the church at a moment's warning. 
As soon as night came they went to church and to bed 
on the floor. What time the ladies in charge of them 
slept at all, they, too, slept on the church floor. 

I, personally, had little time during these busy days 
to be with the girls. Mrs. Arthur Smith, of the Ameri- 
can Board, greatly endeared herself to them all by her 
unceasing interest in them and her strengthening of their 
faith. Passing in and out among the girls, one could 
see that their daily, almost hourly, occupation was 
prayer. 

I shall never forget, one morning when danger had 
become very imminent, one of the girls coming to me 
with this message : "We see how tired and worried you 
are and we know it is about us. We want to tell you 
that we are all praying and are at peace. If God spares 
our lives we shall be very glad ; but if we do die it will 
be all right.'^ 

The night the Chinese city was for four hours filled 
with the fiendish howls, "Kill the foreign devils V^ the 
girls were peacefully sleeping on the church floor. 

Once only was there a giving way to grief. That was 



SIEGE DAYS 351 

on the morning of June 20, when they were told that for- 
eigners were all ordered to leave Peking. In such an ex- 
treme hour, I could but tell them the plain facts as they 
appeared to me ; which were, that although some native 
Christians might hide away, yet, if the foreign ministers 
should leave the city, they and all who should go with 
them would be massacred, while those who remained in 
Peking would share the same fate. In short, I thought 
the most of us would be in Heaven before the close of 
that day. 

My last feeble plan for our girls was to give each one 
some bits of money to secrete about her person, so that 
in case she escaped she would not be penniless. I told 
them, if attacked, to lose themselves, if possible, in the 
crowd. They saw the probable futility of this plan as 
clearly as I did and said, "Where shall we go? The 
Boxers are everywhere. We will not try to go anywhere, 
but all stay here and go to Heaven together." 

We were all of us — teachers and pupils — in one of the 
school rooms at the time; and we had a consecration 
meeting right then. At first nobody paid much heed to 
what others were doing; but each, where she stood or 
knelt, was speaking earnestly to God. Then we sang the 
song we had all learned in the revival meetings that 
had blessed us a few months before. It was the girls' 
favorite of all they knew. You know the song — "I Can 
Hear My Savior Calling, Take Thy Cross and Follow 
Me." Then, "I'll go With Him to the Garden," and 
again, "He'll go With me all the Way," and "He Will 
Give Me Grace and Glory." How every word was 
brought home that morning! Then we all prayed to- 



352 SIEGE DAYS 

gether, "If it be possible, let this cup pass ; nevertheless 
Thy will be done/' We were helped right then to say it 
all. While still pra5dng, a messenger came hurriedly in 
sa3dng, "Baron von Ketteler has been shot and killed and 
the ministers will not leave the city. All the Americans 
are ordered to be ready to go to the United States 
Legation in twenty minutes." "What about the native 
Christians?" was asked. "Captain Hall will come for 
them afterwards/' was the reply. Will they he here 
when he comes back? one could but wonder. 

Before we had finished telling the girls of these last 
developments, another messenger came saying that all 
of us — Americans and native Christians — were to go to 
the Legation together. Oh, joy! that we could live or 
die together. 

Each person could take to the Legation only what he 
or she could carry. All the poor girls possessed, except 
the clothes they wore and a few testaments and hymn 
books, w^ere in the N'orth Compound and impossible to 
be gotten at. We were going to nobody knew what, 
without food, beds or medicines. We were not molested 
on our way to the Legation. The school girls, at the 
head of the long column of Chinese, marched quietly 
all the way and in perfect order. An old Scotch gentle- 
man stood and watched them pass within the Legation 
defences. He said afterward that in all his life he had 
never seen such a wonderful sight as that. 

The teachers went with the girls into an open court 
yard adjoining Prince Su's palace grounds. After a 
while they were moved into another court near by where 
were a lot of shade trees. Straw from a stack close at 



SIEGE DAYS 353 

hand was scattered under the trees, and here we sat for 
several hours, glad to be out of the glare of the hot sun, 
but without food or other shelter. 

Mr. Huberty James of the Imperial University of 
Peking had early in the day assured us that he would 
do all he could to secure the use of Prince Su's palace 
for our people. We are indebted to him for the open- 
ing of that palace which provided shelter and living 
necessities for all our Chinese the first ten days of the 
siege. It cost Mr. James his life. He was shot that 
same evening while going among the Chinese on this 
errand of love. 

The school girls occupied an immense hall of the 
palace, entirely without furnishings and with a damp 
brick floor. This we covered with straw. Preparations 
were made for cooking, and native women were put in 
charge of the girls. This was no sooner done than the 
foreign ladies were ordered into the British Legation, 
as firing had already begun and they might be soon cut 
off from the quarters designed for them. 

By and by the firing abated and Dr. Gamewcll went 
back with me to where the girls were. Shooting soon 
began again, however, and we had to return under fire. 
As we left the girls they did not see us go; for they 
were prostrate in the straw to escape passing bullets 
through the windows and were praying as if they had 
lost sight of all but two things — their enemy and God, 
their help. That was the last time I saw them for sev- 
eral days. The firing was so heavy that ladies were not 
allowed to pass over to them. The girls' sufferings were 
very keen. Fighting was fierce about them. A per- 



354 SIEGE DAYS 

« 

sistent effort was made to burn Prince Sn's palace. A 
horrible death stared them hourly in the face. Since 
the siege I have heard the girls reviewing the events of 
it. When they came to the days spent in Prince Su's 
palace they said, "Oh ! don't mention them. They were 
too dreadful V 

After the palace was burned the girls were brought, 
under cover of night, into a Chinese private residence 
a little south of the British Legation, which was de- 
serted. Although the majority of the girls had to sleep 
on boards, trunks, tables, floors, and although 
the open space these one hundred persons had to move 
about in was only about forty feet square, yet here was 
comparative luxury. This place, too, could be reached 
without being directly exposed to fire. This deserted 
home proved a very well-to-do one, stocked with food and 
all sorts of beautiful and useful clothing and unmade 
goods. The girls' shoes were worn out. Here was ma- 
terial for new ones and they knew how to make them. 
Of every thing there was, we used what we needed. 

The girls gladly helped in every way possible. They 
cooked, washed, mended and darned for many people and 
made sand bags ; I cannot tell how many thousand. One 
or two days they helped tear down old buildings and 
carried the bricks to make fortifications. It was all 
done, not only while facing their own peril, but the al- 
most certainty that their dear ones at home were being 
hunted and slain like wild beasts. 

Minister Conger, with the greatest anxiety, said to 
me the day our native Christians came within the Lega- 
tion defences, "What are we going to do with all these 



SIEGE DAYS 355 

Chinese? We are bringing them up here to starve to 
death." It did look that way, but we couldn't walk hy 
sight those days. That same afternoon food enough was 
found to supply all our people for several days, and the 
supply never failed. 

Having but few dishes, they ate in small divisions. It 
was past noon before all had breakfasted ; for there was 
the added difficulty or almost impossibility of cooking 
thoroughly the whole kernels of wheat which made the 
morning meal. It was late at night when supper was 
ended. They had but the two meals. 

For want of house room we had evening prayers in 
the open court. Many a time in the midst of prayers 
a fusillade would suddenly open and bullet after bullet 
would whiz over us. 

Once a cannon ball struck just beside the kitchen door, 
where, but a moment before, some girls had been stand- 
ing. A bullet grazed one girl's clothing, another passed 
between two girls sitting side by side, went into a room 
and struck under a table, but none of the girls were 
hurt. 

After the allies arrived, the owner of the home we 
occupied came back. He said he would like to get some 
of the clothing and bedding in the house if we did not 
object. He was told what we had done with his things 
and that we were destitute. He was very nice, saying 
that he could not take all of his things away. He would 
take some and leave some. He left a good supply of 
clothing for all the girls. That was not bad, was it? 
This man was not a Christian, of course. 

All our school buildings and homes had for weeks 



856 SIEGE DAYS 

been lying in ashes. Six days after onr release we 
divided onr flocks, and, with thankful hearts for the un- 
failing mercies of the summer, went to live in such quar- 
ters as we could find. "If it had not been the Lord 
who was on our side when men rose up against us, then 
had they swallowed us up quick." 

We believe that God has a very definite purpose in the 
world for these young lives that in the hour of trial 
leaned upon Him and whom He so manifestly de- 
livered. — Charlotte M. Jewell. 

Otlier Christian Chinese. 

The Chinese were all put into a large Fu (residence 
of a wealthy family) across the street from the Legation. 
The Japanese were in charge of the Fu, and treated the 
Chinese very nicely. They were so polite and consid- 
erate to the Chinese that many of the servants of the 
foreigners preferred to go over there and work for them 
than to stay in the British Legation and work for Eu- 
ropeans. At first Protestants and Catholics were to- 
gether, but they were separated later. — Miss Maud 
Mackey, M. D. 

Prince Su's palace was at first protected on three sides 
by Legations, and had a special guard of Japanese and 
Italian marines. The abandonment of the Austrian 
Legation left it more unprotected on the northeast, and 
though the Japanese made a brave defense, the Chinese 
soldiers gradually pushed in their barricades on the 
north, so that before the end of the siege the quarters 
the Protestants once occupied were all burned or included 
within the enemies' lines. Thus driven back by fire and 



SIEGE DAYS 357 

sword, our people were gradually brought over to scat- 
tered Chinese dwellings near the British, Russian and 
American Legations. — Miss Luella Miner. 

Although part of the premises formerly occupied by 
the Christians has had to be given up, the new quarters 
are much safer and more comfortable. Before, the peo- 
ple were huddled together, and many had only open 
pavilions for shelters. Wlien the rains came on, sixteen 
days ago, this shelter was, of course, insufficient. N'ow 
nearly all have good houses, some even better than their 
own original homes. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

A number of Chinese were hurt and some valued work- 
ers killed, but they too can tell many stories of wonder- 
ful preservation. Por instance, a ca u non ball flew into 
a small Cliinese room with thirteen people in it and did 
not touch one of them. 

The Christians have been true, and none of them 
have been too proud to work like coolies. They have 
built our barricades, and dug our countermines. They 
have not been treated very kindly by the foreigners in the 
Legations, either, but they have tried to bear it meekly. 
— Miss M. A. Mackey, M. D. 

Developing Courage. 

A number of the English-speaking young men from 
the Methodist school, because of their free use of Eng- 
lish, were employed as messengers to all points within 
the line of defense. One young fellow carried a white 
face through the first days, and said that he could not 
sleep. He never shirked duty, but be was frightened. 



358 SIEGE DAYS 

Later on, noticing his fearless bearing, someone remark- 
ed to him that he did not now look like the frightened 
boy of those first days. He laughed brightly and said, 
'^''Oh, we have developed courage/' And so they had, 
both he and his comrades in a common danger. These 
boys were very proud of their associations with the 
marines, with whom they liked to chat on all possible oc- 
casions. 

A marine asked one of them, as they chatted one day, 
which he would rather be, a British soldier or an Ameri- 
can soldier. The questioner was British and the young 
Chinese wanted his favor, but he stood by his colors and 
answered bravely: ^^ America has educated me and 
given me all I have ; I love America and would like best 
to be an American soldier.^' — Mrs. F. D. Gamewell. 

children's corner. 

''The Siege of Pehing/' 

Three years ago I was in the siege of Peking. We left 
Tungcho by night in Chinese carts, and went to the 
Methodist Mission. We put all our baggage in the 
church, and some of us slept there every night, because 
we were afraid of an attack at any time. 

We went all in a crowd to the English Legation. We 
had to live in the church there. We were very crowded. 
First we slept on the floor, but later, my papa made a 
little room in the attic just big enough for us to sleep in. 

We ate brown bread, musty rice, horse meat and crack- 
ed wheat mush every day. Papa, Gardner and I ate 
some brown, strong smelling Chinese jam on our bread, 
when we could not ^et butter. 



SIEGE DAYS 359 

The Chinese soldiers were around us all the time, 
shooting with big guns and rifles, trying to kill us. They 
tried to burn our houses, by burning the houses around 
us, but they did not succeed. The girls had their dolls 
to play with, but we boys tried to build a tent, but the 
wind blew it down several times. Mr. Gait succeeded 
in building it so it would stay. Every Sunday, Mrs. 
Arthur Smith had a Sunday school class for the chil- 
dren. 

A Boxer shot off one of the little images on the roof 
of the church, and it fell on Mrs. Smith's tent. 

There were lots of messengers that started for Tientsin 
with letters to the troops. Some of the messengers had 
their leters sewed into their coats, stockings or hats, for 
fear the Boxers would find them. One, a little boy, went 
as a beggar. He put his letter in his bowl of porridge 
and he succeeded in getting to Tientsin and back again. 

In the night of the 13th of August we heard some 
foreign guns, and we knew it must be the troops. On 
the next day they came into the English Legation. 

They were so tired that they dropped right on the 
ground and we all passed them tea and water. 

On Saturday we went to a Prince's Palace to live. 
The Prince was nine years old, and had a cart and little 
donkey. 

I was glad to come out of the siege, and live in a 
house. We were glad God saved us from being killed. — 
Donald George Tewksbury, 8 years of age. Jan. 13, 
1903, Tungcho, China. 



EIGHTH WEEK. 

I. Journals. 
II. Children's Corner, Dorothea Goodrich. 
III. Articles. 

Last Hours at the Siege Hospital. 

(a) Last Night, Dr. Terry. 

(b) Last Day, Dr. Gloss. 
Special Providences. 

Te Deum. 

August 8. — ^We had a fearful night, three sharp at- 
tacks and then incessant firing all the rest of the time. 
Branches and leaves are all over the ground this morn- 
ing. It is reported that the soldiers who have been 
firing on us have been sent out to fight the foreign troops, 
and that there are new ones. I suppose they thought 
they would see what they could do and make a record 
for themselves. 

Men were working in the trenches outside the front 
gate all night. The plan is to mount a cannon outside. 
— Miss N. N. Eussell. 

Last night's funeral (that of the little Swedish baby) 
was characteristic of our siege state. We walked in pro- 
cession two and two to the little burying ground, and 
laid her between baby Inglis and the soldier shot just 
inside the gate by a random ball from the enemy. We 
had a few shots over our own heads during the serv- 
ices at the grave; just as is usual with siege funerals. 
It almost seems as if some spy must let them know our 

360 



SIEGE DAYS 361 

times of funerals, and they take this time to fire when 
they know many foreigners will be in that part of the 
compound. For the most part now our days are quiet, 
with an occasional midnight attack. One of these at- 
tacks was so sharp that it served for subject matter with 
the Foreign Office. Those on watch at the time said it 
had been preceded by a great shouting, and said the 
enemy's barricade had fallen down, and this so scared 
the Chinese that they screamed, thinking the enemy close 
at hand, and opened a hot fire on us. But the Foreign 
Office said their sentinels heard our screaming, and sup- 
posed themselves attacked, and so opened fire. 

I am housekeeper today. It happens on a red letter 
day as to supplies. The great pile of things in the store 
room are used almost down to the ground to be sure ; we 
have only one little spoonful of butter a day (to eat 
on our porridge with sugar at breakfast, in place of milk, 
which gave out long ago) ; white rice is only for those 
who get a phj-sician's certificate that it is absolutely 
necessary ; the horse meat ration of a half pound per head 
a day must soon be made less (this amount is entirely 
ample) ; jam never comes on the table except occasion- 
ally, when for dessert each person is allowed two small 
crackers stuck together with jam; eggs can no longer 
be obtained, as a new barricade is made where the egg 
merchants used to come in, and several men have been 
shot. Not even the prospect of buying ten eggs for four 
cents and selling them at from forty cents to a dollar 
will make a man ready to risk his life. But the reason 
why this day was an especial one as to the bill of fare 
was because, as had been announced on the bulletin for 



y 



362 SIEGE DAYS 

some days previously, a cow had been killed, and all the 
ladies and children among the foreigners were to have 
a portion. I think it was an especial forethought that 
made the market committee pick out this day 
for the killing of Mrs. Jewell's horse, knowing of 
conrse that she would not wish to eat horse meat on this 
particular day. Over seventy-five horses have been 
killed at the market (by Sir Claude's kitchen) since 
we went into siege. They have naturally reserved the 
treasured pets and the race horses till the last. We shall 
soon be obliged to commence eating the racers unless 
the troops come quickly. There are two gentlemen at 
our table who never eat horse meat and so are obliged 
to go without animal food altogether, Dr. Goodrich and 
Dr. Ingram. Not oply did these men receive a good 
help, but whatever was left was kept for them till the 
next meal. In fact, in our mission, everyone, man, 
woman and child, received a portion. But I shall long 
remember the time we housekeepers, Mrs. Smith and I, 
had in cutting the meat that night ! 

I wonder what would happen if, at this late date, I 
should confess that I got a little mixed between 
the various platters in the pantry that night? — 
the Cong, beef for slicing, and that for making into stew 
for tomorrow, two similar platters for the Methodists, 
and then the platters of mule meat. I tried to keep 
them all distinct, and everybody enjoyed what they 
thought was the beef, and perhaps it was. 

In the afternoon, having the choice between going 
with Dr. Dudgeon at two to see the Fu, the Japanese 
Legation, etc., or going at three with Mr. Gait to see the 



SIEGE DAYS 363 

wall, I chose the former, but on presenting myself at 
two, found that the party had been given up, being con- 
sidered by Sir Claude, who heard of it, as too danger- 
ous. So I waited till three. We went first throusrh the 
Eussian and American Legations, then through a little 
labyrinth of small courts connected by holes through 
court walls, till we came to the street just below the wall. 
This was defended at the crossing by a high barricade on 
either side, leading to the foot of the ramp (or inclined 
plane leading up the side of the wall). The fortifica- 
tion of the ramp was very interesting. To guard 
against shots being fired down the ramp, abutments were 
built out, first from the city wall, then from the outer 
wall of the ramp, so that one in ascending went on a 
zig-zag between these little barricades. 

The bricks to make these walls were dug from the city 
wall at places between the little barricades. I speak 
of them as little, but of course they were as high as a 
man's head. It had been an immense labor to dig these 
enormous bricks out of the wall, as the bricks were more 
than twice as large as any bricks I had ever seen. 

This zig-zag path led from the bottom to the top. It 
was sad to think of the hard labor and many wounds 
this zig-zag had cost our Chinese. Of course all th« 
way up, and all along the top of the wall as far as we 
hold it, all the depressions in the battlemented top were 
filled in with brick, and loop holes left in spots, just 
a large enough crack to sight through. Along the top 
also, there were no clear spaces left for free sweep of 
guns, all broken up into barricades, narrow passages, etc. 
At the large square tower-like projections of the walls 



364 SIEGE DAYS 

we could see east and west along the face of the wall 
and over the city. The ruined southern tower of Chien 
Men (gate) was in full sight. The hroad open space 
both sides of the moat was quite deserted. I did not 
see a living being in the Southern City all the while I 
was on the wall. We went to the eastern barricade and 
looked over to the enemy^s barricade two hundred yards 
distant. The marine on sentry duty at the loop hole 
gave us his glass, but of course we could not see the 
enemy, only their flags. Then retracing our steps and 
going further west, we went nearly to the farthest 
barricade, but not quite up, as there was some firing go- 
ing on. Then we went down. 

This same afternoon a number of gentlemen among 
us took the task of counting the Catholics in the Fu, for 
the purpose of trying to make some plan to keep them 
from starving. There turned out to be 1,295 women and 
children (men not counted). In the morning I had 
secured a very small portion of the food they eat, as a 
specimen. (It did not deprive them as it was replaced 
by better.) It was black and in little cakes, with so 
much dirt in it that I immediately disposed of the bit 
I took in my mouth, and my mouth felt gritty for a 
long time. Another coarser kind contains much straw, 
oats, etc., and was filled with a stuffing of elm-leaves. — 
Ada Haven. 

August 9. This morning I visited the wall and saw 
our barricades, very near to the enemy's barricades, 
where their flags are. Our marines have done wonder- 
ful work there, and it would seem almost impossible to 
drive them out. Fires have destroyed much of this part 



SIEGE DAYS 365 

of the city. The north Roman Catholic cathedral is 
still standing. It will be wonderful if the 3,000 over 
there have been able to hold out. We cannot send re- 
lief and they cannot come to us. We could look over 
into the Imperial city. A pillar of one of the verandas 
there had been struck by one of our balls. — Miss J. G. 
Evans. 

August 10. — This morning at three o'clock we had a 
furious rifle attack. The cannons have all been sent 
out of the city to meet the foreign army. Bullets struck 
the skylight in the hall, and the glass came crashing 
down with a terrible noise. Our machine guns were 
turned on, but I have not heard whether many of the 
enemy were killed; in fact, we could not know, as they 
fight from sheltered places. Yesterday Capt. Van 
Stroudt caught men just outside our walls digging a 
mine. We drove them off and succeeded in getting their 
bag of powder. 

Later, 8:30. — Sharp fighting, and we can hear the 
bugle blowing. It may mean we are in for an attack to- 
night, as there has been more or less firing all day, and 
if you could hear the bullets whiz now in our tree-tops 
or strike the wall, you would wonder how I could sit here 
quietly writing. After seven weeks of it you would un- 
derstand. The last two nights we have had sharp at- 
tacks, and we wonder if it means that the foreign troops 
are nearer, or where they are. The bugle still keeps 
blowing. Our men have been countermining for weeks, 
and strengthening all the weak places in our walls. 
What we fear is the enemy being defeated and driven 
back into the city. — Miss X. N. Eussell. 



366 SIEGE DAYS 

This afternoon we received letters from the troops 
through a messenger sent out hy Mr. Tewksbury four 
days ago. Yesterday when he left them they were at 
the halfway place. We may expect the first line at least 
by Monday or Tuesday. Of course this news makes us 
all very happy. The first announcement I heard was 
"Eat all you want now; the soldiers will be here in five 
days." This is the letter received from G-eneral Gazelee : 
"Strong force of allies advancing. Keep up your 
spirits."— Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

August 11. — In the night (last night) came up a 
severe thunderstorm. The thunder and lightning 
mingled with the firing made a fearful night. We hoped 
when the storm began the Chinese would cease, but no, 
they kept right on. Our American troops upon the wall 
report its having been fearful up there — ^the two com- 
bined. It has been our part to pray. A number of 
us get down on the fioor close together, so our voices will 
not disturb those who have already lain down, and there 
in the dark pour out our hearts for those who are stand- 
ing guard through these fearful nights, also for the 
men lying wounded in the hospital. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

August 12. — During the night there were two attacks. 
After the first we heard great cheering, and wondered 
what it could mean. One of the gentlemen went out to 
investigate. The Chinese had made a fierce attack by 
way of noise. They resort now to blank cartridges and 
great fire crackers. One wonders if it is to frighten us 
with their noise, or to make the Empress think they are 
doing their best. — Miss J. G. Evans. 



SIEGE DAYS 367 

In the midst of the attack the Italian soldiers put 
their fingers in their months and whistled. The British 
marines took it up and shouted bravo. The sound was 
tremendous, and the firing ceased at once and we had 
quiet for over an hour ; then they took it up again. We 
have to stay indoors, as the bullets are too thick for any 
one who is not on duty to be out. The old International, 
the Bets}^, and the English machine-gun are speaking 
now and have been for some time. 

A letter came from the Tsung Li Ya-men tonight 
saying that tomorrow Prince Ching and Prince Tuan 
desire audience with the Ministers. This latter man is 
one more responsible than any one else for all this 
trouble. He openly said he expected to line his cart 
with the skins of foreign devils; then and then only 
would he be satisfied. If he does not find himself minus 
a head, then I am mistaken. 

Now, while I am writing, we are in the midst of a 
furious attack. It is the fifth or sixth we have had to- 
day. Our men estimate they have killed 100 Boxers 
and many soldiers. Today our men on the wall report 
hearing heavy cannonading to the southeast. That is 
where the Chinese expected to meet our troops today, 
and we expect there is a big battle on. Our men also 
say they have seen thousands of soldiers leaving the city 
today and the cavalry going out on the run. — Miss N. N. 
Russell. 

More than one romance is at present interesting those 
who love to watch and report such matters. There goes 
a Legation couple down the Boulevard behind me just 
this instant. The last thing before that which made 



368 SIEGE DAYS 

me raise my eyes was a part of a camioii being taken 
past. Cupid and Mars forever ! 

But it is not on such things I like to dwell tonight. 
I feel the weight of the deep consequences of the event- 
ful week on which we are now entering. This week, in 
all probability, China must acknowledge her weakness. 
Her future, in a certain sense, will be decided this week. 
And this week will come up the decision, probably, of 
the immediate future of the Christians in our charge. 

So many decisions rest on what we shall hear when the 
world 'and we again assume spealdng relations. It 
seems so strange that such a large body of foreigners at 
this stage of the world's history could be, for a couple 
of months at a time, not on speaking terms with the rest 
of the world. All communication with the outside 
world is by bullets, and of late, bulletins also — these lat- 
ter from the Foreign Office, and within the last few days, 
occasional short messages from the advancing troops, 
giving a plan of march, and urging us to keep up heart. 
"Hold the fort, for I am coming,^^ is the spirit of their 
messages. Many think we shall see them Tuesday, and 
this is the plan they have themselves made — ^to reach 
Peking Tuesday. But there may be delay outside the 
walls. I try to picture what it will seem like to see them 
marching in, our American and English boys. And 
how I hope they will bring a mail hag with them. Oh, 
the wonderful revelations, while now we have only 
guesses ! — A. H. 

On this the last Sabbath of the siege, some of us 
thought we would like to really go to church, to see how 
it would seem. There was only one place where we could 



SIEGE DAYS 369 

do it — in the Eussian Legation. In going to attend it we 
are obliged to pass through the Chinese preaching place. 
The contents of two or three stores between the English 
Legation and the little lane at the back of the Eussian 
Legation had before been cleared out to make a free pas- 
sage between the Legations. As time passed on, this pas- 
sage, at first rough with the debris of broken partitions, 
etc., is made clean and smooth, and now at the end is 
placed a great green counter, probably from one of the 
shops, and here as we pause a minute, we may hear the 
Eev. A. H. Smith recounting to an attentive Chinese 
audience standing before him the mercies of our wonder- 
ful preservation. We go on, and pass up the lane, where 
each little store is now occupied by one or more of our 
Christian families. One of each family remains to keep 
house while the others are gone to the service. 

Arriving at the Legation, we pass through the outer 
court, and into the chapel, and soon find ourselves stand- 
ing with the other women of the little congregation. 
This was really more like a church than an)rthing else 
we had within our lines. We had ourselves turned our 
English friends from their chapel. But this little 
church was not thus desecrated by the affairs of ordinary 
life. Nevertheless, even here, with surroundings wholly 
ecclesiastical, the word "siege'^ seemed written every- 
where. We could see it in the gaunt faces of the con- 
gregation, and the unchurchly dress of some. It show- 
ed in the make up of the choir. We had once attended 
a service in the Eussian chapel in the northern part of 
the city, and been struck by the rich sweet voices of the 
young men who rendered the musical parts of the serv- 



370 SIEGE DAYS 

ice. Now the choir is composed of whoever can sing the 
parts — two or three civilians, perhaps belonging to the 
Legation, some young girls with profiles reminding one 
of Greek cameos, a marine or two. Some of this motley 
choir came in late, going to the platform on entering. 
The priests wore the nsnal rich robes, coming up behind 
the head like a kind of reredos, and there was the usual 
changing of robes, and adjusting of the girdle, sometimes 
being worn long from the shonlder, and sometimes cross- 
ing behind the back, over or nnder their long hair. But 
the choir wore no vestments. Here was a man with of- 
ficial insignia, there a marine whose striped undervest 
showed through a great hole in the sholder that it was 
the only garment to his back. Some of the girls wore 
hats, some not. On both men^s and women's side of 
the congregation, we could see the same contrast in cloth- 
ing and condition. But on all faces we saw a look of 
grateful veneration, and could know that they were ren- 
dering homage for preserved lives, the daily miracle. 
This seemed especially to impress the marines, who had 
passed through so much danger. Some of these on en- 
tering would bow to the ground, touching the forehead 
to the floor as in the Chinese k'ou t'ou. There is a mark- 
ed difference between the Legation gentleman and the 
marine, the latter bearing the distinctive mark of the 
Russian peasantry, low brows and heavy features, and 
with hair the color of the yellow earth from which they 
seem to have sprung. 

We recognized some of the faces we saw in the church, 
the priest who had helped Mrs. Conger fill the sand-bags, 
and worked with an ax on the burning tree in the Han 



SIEGE DAYS 371 

Lin, the matrons whom we had seen serving as Red Cross 
nurses in the Russian ward of the hospital, and one 
slender strip of a boy, whom we had seen passing in and 
out among the beds of the Russian patients, giving each 
a word of cheer, or himself sitting on the floor beside 
some bed to read to a patient. He had struck me as 
looking thin when first I saw him there on his little 
errands of mercy. Now through his calico shirt one 
could see that he was worn almost to a skeleton. He 
was here also in his usual capacity — serving; acting as 
acolyte — lighting or extinguishing the lamps at appro- 
priate times, and passing the communion, that is, the 
plate of bread from which the congregation partake. The 
wine is dnmk by the priest alone, as in the Roman 
Catholic service. We had watched with interest the 
ceremonies, the passing back and forth of the intoning 
priests, the opening and shutting of the vine-carved door 
leading into the holy of holies where the host was kept. 
All this was after the established order of things. But 
when this same youth in whom we had been so much in- 
terested, took the plate of bread and made a straight 
line for us, we were slightly embarrassed, and wished we 
had slipped out before. He offered it first to the young- 
est of the party, a child of six, and his mother declining 
for him, the rest of us were passed by, thus saving any 
question either as to fact or method of partaking. 

.Soon after this the little congregation disperses, or 
rather adjourns to the court, the place under the wall 
already made sacred by the ashes of our brave defenders, 
American and Russian, and which ig now to receive two 
more. The grave is already dug, and the uncoffined 



372 SIEGE DAYS 

bodies lie there on stretchers covered by a flag, under 
the trees. We try to find places where we may be shelt- 
ered a little from the sun, which is very hot. As we 
stand there, we note an index of the weary length of 
time we have been in the siege. The graves on the 
terrace under the wall are those of our own boys, and on 
those of the ones who fell in the early part of the siege 
the weeds have now grown from one to two feet high. 
It seems sad for the two Eussians who are now to be 
laid away — the relieving army now so near — ^yet ft will 
come too late to save them. 

The service is partly read, partly sung. At one point 
there is a slight delay. Everybody seems waiting. Fi- 
nally the priest whispers a word in the ear of a marine 
who disappears immediately on a keen run. He ap- 
pears after a while, this time also on the double quick 
but with more caution than before, and his hat is not 
on his head, but is held carefully with one hand in front 
of his breast, while the other hand holds something care- 
fully guarded behind this shield. On coming up he 
gives it to the priest, and one sees that it is a lighted 
candle. With this the necessary thing, candles or in- 
cense burner (I forgot which), was lighted, and the 
service proceeded. And now finally the bodies are lifted 
one by one on the straw matting on which they lie. The 
men carrying the burden stoop at the grave, lower and 
lower, until their arms are stretched at full length down 
the grave, and then they let go. "Earth to earth, ashes 
to ashes, dust to dust." — and then we all leave. — A. H. 

Just a line before tea. Besides the letter from 
the English commander, received on Friday, the 



SIEGE DAYS 373 

same messenger brought another from the Japanese 
commander giving a more definite idea of their 
hope and plan in regard to reaching here. Their hope 
was to reach Chiang-chia-wan yesterday, Tungchou to- 
day and Peking tomorrow or the next day. Word came 
today of a great battle and a great defeat of the Chin- 
ese troops at Chiang-chia-wan yesterday, but I don^t 
know how reliable the word is. The messenger brought 
word from Tungchou that a Boxer flag was over every 
store in the city, and a man had been impressed from 
every one to join the Boxer army. They were systemat- 
ically hunting out and murdering all our Christians. 

A fierce attack was made in the night last night upon 
the French and German Legations, one man being killed 
and another wounded. We too were attacked, and the 
bullets whistled past our windows, but no harm was 
done. 

We have had our usual Sabbath service today. This 
afternoon a very precious experience meeting, telling one 
another the lessons the Lord had been teaching us dur- 
ing these weeks of storm and stress, and the things for 
which we thank the Lord. The Chinese had had their 
meetings as usual, and Miss Evans had a meeting with 
one group of women. I wanted to meet another group, 
but it has been so fearfully hot that I thought I would 
wait until after tea. Later a fierce attack came just 
after tea, and the bullets were flying so everywhere that 
I delayed my meeting till the firing stopped. Then it 
was so far to the group I wanted to reach, and so many 
sick ones to see by the way, that I was finally obliged to 
give up my meeting as the darkness was already gath- 



37^ SIEGE DAYS 

ering. Just as I was starting back another terrible at- 
tack began and I was rather afraid to come back; but 
I could not know how long it would last, and dared not 
wait lest it be dark, so I rushed, and asked the Lord 
as I went to cover me with his hand, and he did. As 
Boon as I got within the walls of the English Legation 
(our people are scattered about among all the Lega- 
tions), I went into the first house I came to, in which 
were Miss Douw and the ladies of her mission, and wait- 
ed there until there was a lull in the firing. There have 
been five distinct attacks today, in one of which the 
French commander was killed. — Miss Andrews. 

August 13, Monday — Yesterday we had another Sun- 
day. How we appreciate them now since we were de- 
prived of them for so many weeks. Yesterday was, 
however, a very noisy day. The enemy began firing 
upon us in the afternoon and kept it going all night. 
We all wonder if the enemy realize this is their last 
chance at us. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

Last night I gave up writing, the firing made me 
60 nervous, and then we dared not have a light, it got 
so bad. The night was simply beyond words. All day 
there was firing, and several attacks. About seven in 
the evening it was bad, and simply grew worse till three 
this morning. Then we had a let-up of an hour or 
so, then they started in again. Thousands of bul- 
lets struck all about us. One came into our room 
through the window, but did not hit any one. One 
struck just over the window, and brought down some 
tiles, and several struck on the roof. All our west bar- 
ricades were badly injured, and it will take all day to 



SIEGE DAYS 375 

repair them. Our three machine-guns and cannon were 
all working. It is simply wonderful that tens of thou- 
sands of bullets could be fired and only one man killed. 
The Chinese simply point their guns in our direction 
and fire; they have some fine marksmen among them, 
but not many. Capt. Van Stroudt, the leader now of 
the English marines, had been instructing the Chinese 
soldiers, but he said some months ago he saw what was 
coming, and resigned his post. Our American flag, also 
the Eussian flag, have been raised on the wall today. I 
do hope our troops will come in to-day ; it does not seem 
as if we could endure another night like last night. — 
Miss N. N. Eussell. 

Last night was one of the hardest since the siege be- 
gan. New soldiers evidently were firing upon us, hop- 
ing they could accomplish our destruction before our 
troops arrive. They are using Mauser rifles. The fir- 
ing comes mostly from over by the Fu (on the east) and 
the Mongol market (on the west), and may have been 
from other places. It was almost continuous through the 
night. The air seemed full of bullets. The chapel 
where we are is right between the fires. Sometimes the 
noise was so great it seemed as though they must be in- 
side instead of a few rods away. It is very, very warm 
and the air seems dead. We are so nervously tired it 
Beems almost more than we can bear ; the poor children 
did have such a hard night. — Miss J. G. Evans. 

On these last afternoons, the chapel presents a scene 
varied from its former use. Here at the end of one 
table sits Dr. Eeid, able now to be about again, dictating 
to Miss Andrews, who can write a beautiful microscopic 



376 SIEGE DAYS 

hand, certain numbers, cipher telegrams, and here, 
further down, is Dr. Ingram, making a map of the de- 
fenses. Here sits Dr. Goodrich, whacking out a home 
letter on his type-writer. And here, in the large open 
space in front of the tables, sits a group of ladies, one 
reading while the others work. 

Dujing these last days, when there was no longer a 
demand for sand-bags, we could avail ourselves of the 
kind offer of one of the English Legation ladies, who 
put her library at the use of the missionaries, and I sup- 
pose of any who could read English. This was cer- 
tainly m^ost generous at a time when the only way any- 
one could be sure of finding any of his belongings was 
to keep them under his hand all the time. We had time 
also for another employment— to make ourselves some 
new clothes. Some of the stuff from the foreign stores 
proved far too thin for sand-bags, but would make very 
pretty shirt waists, delicate satin stripe challies, and 
such material. They had been sent to the chapel weeks 
before by the storekeepers, with the request that they 
should be given to the ladies who most needed them. 
These were put away at the time. Who could tell whether 
we would ever need shirt waists ? But we did need sand- 
bags, and desperately, too. But now that the troops 
were almost here, we would make up those new shirt 
waists (for we sadly needed these too) and wear them 
first in honor of their arrival, making a gala-day of our 
welcome to them. And so it was that on this last after- 
noon of the siege, we found ourselves gathered where we 
had often with such feverish haste rushed forward the 
sand bags, sitting quietly doing our own sewing, while 



SIEGE DAYS 377 

one of our number read aloud from one of these English 
books, about the Siege of Lucknow. We had often 
spoken of this remarkable siege before, wondering as we 
passed through certain experiences, whether these 
others had had similar trials or mercies. So now this 
gave us a chance to compare. As the one read, the 
others would often interrupt her, renaming the persons 
or the places of the story, as they seemed familiar — 
"Why that is Major Conger or Sir Claude," or "Call that 
Tungchou or Ch'ien Men." Never was history so in- 
teresting. 

In a letter written after the siege one of the ladies 
writes thus : "One of the army officers asked, if we 
had the siege to go over again what we would do ? I said 
there was one thing we would not do, and that was to 
take extra trouble to have on clean clothes to welcome 
the relieving army. I do not like to recall how I ironed 
the day before the troops came. I had been sick and 
was just up and able to get around. My knees trembled 
under me while standing, and two bullets struck the 
roof of a little house five or six feet from where I was 
standing, and sent the brick dust over my clean skirt 
and shirt waist. We had one iron for I don't know how 
many people to use, at least twenty-five. These ladies 
were waiting for me to get through so they could iron." 

We began to expect the troops on the 13th, but doubted 
much whether we would be alive to welcome our res- 
cuers, for, as the Chinese army fled before the allies, it 
fell back into Peking and vented its desperate spite 
upon us. — Mrs. Gamewell. 

August 14. — Tuesday. This is a day, and last night 



378 SIEGE DAYS 

was a night, long to be remembered. Just about eight 
last night we were in the porch talking — taking refuge 
from the rain. Mrs. Tewksbury said ^^Sir Claude has 
favored the plan of the German captain who proposed 
to give the enemy all our cannon in case they made an- 
other night attack." Mr. Tewksbury replied, "Oh, there 
will be no attack tonight." But the word was not out of 
his mouth when the attack commenced hard and sharp, 
so there was hardly a chance to hear a word shouted in 
one's ear. — Ada Haven. 

Early in the morning, in the midst of a rainstorm, 
the enemy situated in the Mongol market began 
an attack. Yesterday, in consequence of the great noise 
of the attack the night before, we had mounted our five 
large guns with a range on this place. There was the 
"Betsey," the English ^N'ordenfelt, the Italian one- 
pounder and the Austrian gun. The crack, crack, of the 
enemy's rifles, the thud, thud, of our guns was kept up 
just about the entire night through. Twice during the 
night the armed civilians were called out. The first 
time was just after we had gone to bed. When the forty 
or so men assembled, Sir Claude came out and announced 
that he called them out simply to see how many would 
be ready to respond. 'Tis true some did not know where 
their guns were, for it had been some weeks since such a 
call has come. But about three o'clock in the morning 
the bell sounded again, and this time each was assigned 
a position, for the enemy was thought to be on the point 
of making a rush. N'othing was done, however, and the 
men came back in a little while — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

The horrors of the night began early and there seemed 



SIEGE DAYS 3V9 

little use of retiring. We would no more than lie down 
when there would be another attack, and such fearful 
ones. It seemed as though all the powers of darkness 
were arrayed against us. We hear the new official had 
said he would take us in five days. This was his last 
chance, and well he tried. If such an attack had come 
two months ago, we could not have withstood it, but God 
did not allow it then, and gave us time to fortify. At 
first the attacks would last some half hour or so, and 
then there would be a quiet time; but for the past two 
nights the firing has been almost incessant on our north, 
east and west, and not more than 500 yards away from 
the church. We expected the Chinese would do their 
best when they knew our troops were near. Before that 
they thought they could starve us out. But now they 
wanted to get us out of the way, so we could not 
give testimony against them. Our soldiers planted 
four guns to fire upon the Chinese, for now that the 
allied troops are so near, we did not need to be so careful 
about using up our ammunition. We had the N"orden- 
felt, our Betsey (this you remember was the Interna- 
tional gun), an Austrian, the automatic (Colts) and 
the Italian, and how our men did fire them ! Think of 
five cannon going, and most of them not more than 500 
yards away, accompanied by the incessant reports of 
rifles on either side. The explosive bullets made a fear- 
ful noise. Some counted six separate attacks during the 
night, but to me it was one long-drawn connonading. 
The enemy had a cannon which at last got the range of 
our buildings, and threw shells. One entered Sir 
Claude's bedroom, but no one was in it at the time. Three 



380 SIEGE DAYS 

struck the rampart at the front entrance of the Legation, 
one of which came in, making a great hole and exploding 
inside, knocking Dr. Dudgeon on his back, but doing no 
harm. Wonderful Providence through it all! — Miss 
Evans. 

And now that it comes to the crowning moment of 
all, when we first heard our rescuers, it is impossible to 
pick out the story of one. Let us have a symposium, 
a chorus of voices telling the same story just as it 
was that night in the church porch. 

At two o'clock I suddenly heard the boom of distant 
cannon. "Listen, if s our troops !" I cried. Exultant 
voices and hurrying footsteps assured me that others, 
too, believed our troops were near. — Mrs. C. Goodrich. 

About two a. m. we heard the distant roar of our 
troops, and now shells are bursting in the city on the 
east side, and our troops are reported within three miles. 
It seems almost more than we can endure. JSTow our re- 
lief is in sight our strength is gone ; I mean our physi- 
cal strength. We may have another bad night, for the 
troops may not be able to get into the city today. One 
German was killed; our American gunner, Mitchell, 
was seriously injured, and two other marines were also 
injured. Our soldiers heard the Chinese officers urg- 
ing on their men to rush our walls last night, but they 
did not get up their courage to do it. Our big guns 
were put on the weaker places and sent volley after 
volley into their barricades. — Miss N. IST. Eussell. 

Shortly after midnight we heard the distant roar of 
cannon and knew our troops were engaging the Chinese 



SIEGE DAYS 381 

forces not far away. The roar grew stronger and louder^ 
till about four o'clock when the men on the small por- 
tion of the wall which we held conld see the flash of 
artillery. All gates were closed, for the last time per- 
haps, and barricaded. — Dr. Leonard. 

Between the heavy fusillades against our compound 
walls, we suddenly heard the thunderous boom of heavy 
guns outside the city gates. Boom — boom — boom — then 
the nearer reply from the Chinese on the wall, striving 
to drive them back. But in vain. Until long after 
dawn we listened joyfully, tearfully, hysterically to the 
welcome roll of artillery and the click, click, click of the 
sharp-spoken little machine gun. There was not much 
sleep after the first sound of the relief guns was heard, 
The whole compound was full of life and movement. 
The Chinese soon turned more heavy artillery upon us, 
sending big shells bursting into different houses in the 
Legation. — Mrs. Inglis. 

Between two and three in the morning, while many of 
us stood by the door of the church, there came a little 
lull in the noise about us, and we heard a Catling gun in 
the distance and we soon realized the allied troops were 
drawing near. I cannot write what it was to us to hear 
that sound after two months anxious waiting. We knew 
they were still some miles away, and a strong wall and 
gates between them and us, but we could hear them, 
and then the cannonading here. — Miss Evans. 

Hurrah! we hear the sound of our friends knocking 
at the gates. Wliat a night it was last night ! It was 
about two o'clock when we became quite certain that 



3^2 SIEGE DAYS 

the sounds we heard must be either our troops or guns 
fired at them^ in either case of course implying our de- 
liverers were near. Today was the day they set for 
coming, so we can readily believe them near. 

The attack last night was perfectly fiendish, six at- 
tacks in fact, each sounding like a concentrated Fourth 
of July and Chinese 'New Year, so magnified and 
brought together by some acoustic instrument as to 
make the sounds one great crack, and snap, and roar, 
and whistle. Of course part of this was our own 
answering fire. In fact, with the exception of four shells 
(one of which they say went into Sir Claude's bed- 
room), all the artillery was on our side. We have 
learned to distinguish the separate voices of our ord- 
nance, the Nordenfelt was near us, our pet ^''Interna- 
tional" in the stable court, the Italian at the Mongol 
market, and the Colts at the front gate. My place to 
sleep is in the garret of the church. But of course little 
sleep was done by anybody. Hearing the distant guns 
and the joyful voices of those lodging below, I went 
down stairs and joined the excited group in the moon- 
lit church porch, who were rejoicing in the prophecy of 
the new sounds. Presently Mrs. Smith came along and 
asked Dr. Wherry to voice our thanksgiving in a few 
words of prayer. I shall never forget that prayer as 
we stood in the moonlight huddled together in the porch, 
to be out of range of the sharp firing going on. — Ada 
Haven. 

I think I was the only grown person who slept 
any after eleven o'clock. I woke before then, and 
I realized the good news, but was too tired and weak 



SIEGE DAYS 383 

from my three weeks' sickness to get up. Several came to 
my bedside and asked if I heard the firing. I sleepily 
answered "yes/' hoping they would soon quiet down and 
not wake the children. So when for the third time I 
was disturbed by "Have you heard the good news?" 
I said "Yes ; I say 'Thank the Lord/ and go to sleep in 
peace." I was so nearly worn out as to have no more 
enthusiasm than that. Even through the day I did not 
get worked up to the situation. When everyone else 
rushed out at the last to greet the soldiers as they 
entered, I stayed behind with my sick baby who was try- 
ing to go to sleep. But when the "hurrahs" rang out on 
the air, a thrill ran through my heart, and I did feel 
the excitement of the day, and the relief from the long 
strain. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Mormng. 

There is no doubt but what our troops are advancing, 
and that this firing is the battle. Some say they are 
really inside the Southern City; others say at different 
gates, but all agree that they are within four or five 
miles of us. If it should be the entire army, and not 
simply the advance guard, we will see them before night. 
I have just now heard that they are probably coming 
in two sections, judging from the direction of the Chin- 
ese firing. This would seem to indicate that the entire 
army is close at hand. I also hear a "yow-yen" (rumor) 
which I take with at least two grains of salt, that two or 
three explosives have come from outside over into the 
Forbidden City. It is a fine morning to get up stories. 
Ever}^one is happy, exultant in spite of the weariness 



384 SIEGE DAYS 

from lack of sleep after so many nights of continTions 
attacks. I am trying to be calm, and not too expectant. 
So many times we have been mistaken. I very greatly 
hope it may be true, and especially becanse of the food 
supply. It seems pathetic that dear babies should have 
nothing but horse sonp to live on, as some of the older 
ones are doing. 

I wonder where we shall go in the few days before the 
way is opened to Tientsin. I feel sure it will be- some 
interesting place. In some wealthy Chinese residence, 
perhaps, or the Temple of Heaven; or even the palace 
itself would be attractive. If we could get out of this 
compound we can buy melons, fresh fruit, eggs, etc., 
and live high. — Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

And then in the morning came the pounding of can- 
non against the walls and gate of the city. I couldn't 
have believed it possible that I could ever find delight 
in such a sound, knowing how much it must mean of 
havoc and probably of slaughter, but it was music to 
us aU, because we knew that only so could deliverance 
come to us, and only so salvation to China. We didn't 
think it possible that the troops could get in before 
night, if indeed at all to-day. — Miss Andrews. 

Afternoon. 

Dr. Wherry and I got permission to go up on the 
wall, the day the troops came in. We saw our Americans 
marching up on the Southern City side. They called 
up to us and gave us the news from Tientsin and asked 
about our condition. Oh, it was glorious to see them 
all come in! We could hear the Kussian band before 



SIEGE DAYS 385 

we saw the men. They kept perfect time as they sang 
with thousands of voices their song of victory. — Maud 
Mackey, M. D. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon the American marines 
on the city wall sent up a terrific shout. The allies were 
creeping into the north city under the city wall, fifty 
feet beneath the feet of our cheering American boys. 
A few minutes later they filed into the British Legation. 
British officers, sturdy Sikhs from India, with their com- 
rades, the Eoyal Eajputs and Bengal Lancers mounted 
upon their war steeds. — Mrs. Inglis. 

Inside the British Legation the tides of life were 
flowing as usual. The Chinese millstones were grind- 
ing the wheat which had indeed been the staff of life 
to the thousands of beleaguered foreigners and Chris- 
tian Chinese; the butcher was dividing up the flesh of 
two horses; the men in charge of the fortifications still 
flew from place to place, superintending the Chinese 
workmen ; soapsuds were still splashing in the laundry ; 
the cobbler was trying to reconstruct the tattered frag- 
ments of a refugee American's only pair of shoes; the 
ladies had laid out the most respectable shirt-waists in 
their limited wardrobes to don in honor of the arrival 
of the troops. — Miss Miner. 

At 2 o'clock p. m., the British Indian troops 
came through the water gate, up the side of the canal 
and into our compound. It was hearty cheering 
they got as they came in, and they did look so pleased to 
see us alive. The troops had heard the heavy firing 
on us in the night and made a desperate rush to get in. 



386 SIEGE DAYS 

The British left Tungchou, thirteen miles away, and 
reached the southeast gate of the southern city at 11 
o'clock. This is the weakest gate. They had no trouble 
in getting through and came right on in. — Dr. Leonard. 

I was lying on the bed when some one came to tell 
me that they were really here — in the tennis court in our 
compound. It seemed incredible that, with the great 
wall of Peking and all the gates barricaded to keep them 
out, and the Chinese troops who had gone out to meet 
them, our American boys could scale the wall right un- 
der the place where the Chinese soldiers had been firing 
on us. They took them by surprise, drove them away, and 
were soon in possession of several gates. When I got down 
stairs that day, only a few Indian Sikhs had come in 
and they continued to come in numbers, the English 
also, and such cheering you never heard. We waved our 
handkerchiefs and they shouted Hurrah ! — Mrs. Tewks- 
bury. 

About two in the afternoon I was trying to take a nap 
up in our "sky parlor," for the noise for some nights has 
been almost unbearable, and fleas were worse. Sleep 
was out of the question — when suddenly I began to hear 
a great commotion down stairs, running to and fro of 
people, shouting and hurrahing in the other end of the 
compound. It flashed through my mind "Have they 
come?'' and with nervous fingers that would scarcely 
put the buttons and pins in their proper places, I began 
to dress. In a few minutes Mr. Gait came running up 
to tell me, with tears in his eyes, that they had really ar- 
rived, and then he ran away again to see the sights. In 
a minute or two more I was with the rest of the crowd 



SIEGE DAYS 387 

watching hundred after hundred of soldiers march 
through the tennis park, when they dropped in the grass 
under the trees, poor, tired, hot men. — Mrs. Gait. 

The first to march in were the Bengal Lancers 
(Sikhs), with their big turbans, strange costumes, long 
lances, their splendid physique, sparkling eyes and jolly 
faces. They came in with a hurrah and were wildly 
cheered. Of course they were under English officers, 
and soon after the English troops followed, but with 
less of dash. — Miss Andrews. 

My letter was interrupted by the cry, "The troops have 
come." I jumped up, dressed hurriedly and ran out into 
Lady McDonald's front hall in time to greet the British 
officers. The court outside was filling with magnificent 
Sikhs, all turbaned and jolly looking as could be. Oh, 
what cheering, huzzahs and tears ! Old Gen. Gazalee and 
the officers, browned and sweating, all had trembling 
voices as well as tearful eyes. The troops entered the 
Southern City, after sending a few shells through the 
gate, and then, instead of shelling their way into the 
north city, they crept man after man through the water 
gate. — Mrs. Inglis. 

The relieving army, we fear, were a little surprised 
when they came, to see us clothed and in our right minds, 
and not so very unlike ordinary people. We had heard 
the quick-firing guns, joyful sound ! during the night, 
and knew the troops were really and truly coming, and 
everyone put on his or her cleanest clothes, and of course 
looked very cheerful and happy as the troops slowly 
filed in. One officer saved a little beer to give to some 



388 SIEGE DAYS 

fainting refugee when he got to Peking, and was dis- 
gusted to find any amount of wine on the grounds. In 
fact, so much mm and whiskey had been brought in from 
the foreign stores that we were in great danger from 
the drink. Soldiers took it, and? were sometimes unfit 
for duty, and in that way we lost men and some of our 
positions. One of the American officers destroyed all 
the bottles he could find, but there was too much left 
that he did not find. — Miss McKillican. 

About the heaviest firing of all was as the troops came 
in, not the Sikhs, who came first, and who I think 
rather took the enemy by surprise, but the English 
troops coming later. It was in this wise : We had gone 
out to see them crawling through the water gate. In 
the general excitement, even we women were allowed to 
go out of the gate by the corner house and watch them. 
But by and by it commenced to patter a sprinkle of 
leaden rain. Those by the gate ran to the shelter of the 
corner house, but by the time I reached the gate the 
shower was so hard that I rushed for a little tree grow- 
ing close to the wall of the little cemetery. That is one 
advantage of being reduced to a skeleton — you can slip 
into any kind of a crack. In this place I felt safe, even 
though the blast of the terrible ones was as a storm 
against a wall. It seemed like half an hour that I was 
standing there alone, with the bullets whizzing overhead) 
and the leaves and twigs falling all around as on a windy 
day in the late Autumn. The two or three who passed 
by on the road went like frightened animals, bent almost 
into quadrupeds as they ran across the exposed space. 

After the troops were in, the Chinese made one more 



SIEGE DAYS 389 

attack upon us, during which a French woman was 
wounded, but not seriously. A company of Sikhs were 
called up, formed into line, and went over into the 
Mongol market west of us and drove the Chinese troops 
away. I should think they would run to see such a com- 
pany coming. And I wish we could do something for 
our poor tired soldiers. They have gone out to camp 
under the wall of the city. 

Welcoming Our Americans. 

If we all joined in chorus as we heard for the first 
time the guns of the relieving army, and then again 
mingled our hurrahs as the Sikhs came in, still more 
must we all join in the welcome to our Americans, even 
though the hurrahs stick in our throats and have to be 
gulped down as sobs. Finally the Americans came in, 
a Montana regiment being the only ones we saw that 
afternoon. They were the nearest exhausted of all, 
for they had been at work since they reached the city, 
taking more of the wall, between the barricades which 
our soldiers have been holding there and the Ch'ien Men, 
one of the city gates. We waved our handkerchiefs and 
shouted and hurrahed as they passed, but one poor fellow 
said as he dragged along, "We can't spare breath to 
shout, but we are so glad to see you.'^ Many were over- 
come entirely with the hot sun and the march from 
Tungchou — fourteen miles since morning, with but a 
bite of breakfast and nothing more all day. One of them 
said to me a little while later, as I was talking to a group 
of them who were sitting in the shade resting and smok- 
ing cigarettes : "It is worth it all to see you alive here ; 



390 SIEGE DAYS 

we were so afraid you would all be killed/^ They had 
heard as they came toward us the attack which the 
Chinese made the night before on us here, and they 
thought time after time that we would not be able to 
withstand it. 

The plan the troops had for entering the city was 
for different nationalities to enter at different gates. 
The Japs, however, broke agreement and started along,* 
bombarded one of the gates, and drew the Chinese forces 
there, so that the others came in with less resistance. 
The Americans, however, have been doing some fine 
work ; they blew up one gate, and the English walked in 
behind them. Every city gate was closed and barri- 
caded, but a little dynamite could soon do the work of 
opening them. It is difficult beyond telling to get any 
real accurate information as to just what was done or 
what is to be done. Each one you talk with has a differ- 
ent tale to tell, and what the soldiers themselves say can 
not be depended upon. They like to make big stories, 
for one thing, and they don't know the names of the 
different portions of the city. One fellow talked to me 
about coming in through "Chinatown," just as though 
it wasnH all Chinatown.— Mrs. H. S. Gait. 

The Indian troops came in at the water gate, while a 
good many of the Americans scaled the wall. I do not 
see how they could, but they said they were bound to get 
in, and there seemed no other way. These did not know 



*Bless tliem ! If it liad not been for that, if they had planned 
to enter after each nation was ready at the appointed gate, 
the nearly finished mines would have been sprung, and the 
allied armies would have found only the enemy in the British 
Legation. 



SIEGE DAYS 391 

about the water gate — a little gate under the wall. — 
Miss McKillican. 

After all, the pounding on the Chi-huo-men* had been 
onty a feint to divert attention, and meanwhile they had 
battered down a less strongly protected gate and entered, 
an*& then by the water gate into the Legations. Our 
American marines had opened the gate, but they did not 
get in first as they had other plans. — Miss M. E. An- 
drews. 

They were first in the Southern City. The gate 
attacked by them was more strongly defended and two 
companies volunteered to scale the wall. Their path 
then lay along the wall, which was occupied by Chinese 
soldiers. They had some twelve or more wounded. — Dr. 
E. E. Leonard. 

The Sikhs had joined in the shouting, but the Ameri- 
cans were "too tired to cheer." They did look terribly 
tired and hot. They had had a fearful march, night 
and day, from Tientsin — three days without rations, 
and one day without water, except what they could get 
out of the mud. — Mrs. Tewksbury 

I wish it were possible in some way to show the sol- 
diers how much we do feel for them, and appreciate 
their sufferings in the hard march from Tientsin. — Miss 
N. N. Eussell. 

If tears flowed, I know you will not think us 
childish. They came in on a run, and cheering when 
they found that they were not too late to save us. The 



*The large gate at the east, bombarded by the Japanese. 



392 SIEGE DAYS 

firing during the night before had been heard at Tung- 
ehon, fifteen miles away, and they made a forced march 
to reach ns, fearing that at the last it would be too 
late. The Indian troops could stand the heat the best, 
and so got in first, and came in through the water gate 
which is near us. Some of the Americans saw the flag, 
the Stars and Stripes flying on the wall of the city, and 
came up the face of the wall to join their comrades 
on the top, while the artillery was forcing open the 
Ch'ien gate. The English looked tired, but nothing to 
what our men did. At three in the morning at Tung- 
chou, they were just ready to eat breakfast when they 
were ordered to march — couldn^t even bring it with them, 
and had nothing all day. So they came in so tired that 
they could not return the cheers we gave them. How our 
courts filled up, yes, and the city also — in all some 
twenty-two or twenty-three thousand troops arrived. We 
sang the doxology. Our hearts are full of gratitude 
and wonder at God's great goodness to us. — Miss Evans. 

The day the relief came, our troops, dusty, weary and 
faint, drew up in line to salute the American Minister. 
We had nothing to give them but cups of cold water, 
but the water was fresh and clear from the well. — Dr. 
Terry. 

At five o'clock our own American boys, worn and 
weary, some of them swaying from the terrible heat 
and lack of food, marched in to our relief. If our 
cheers seemed feeble, it was because they came from 
hearts too full for utterance, and if our handker- 
chiefs only half fiuttered, it was because they had to 
be used to wipe away the tears that would chase one 



SIEGE DAYS 393 

another down our cheeks. Dressed in our cleanest 
clothes and with eyes glowing with happiness, we made 
an appearance that surprised our rescuers. They said 
that they had expected to find us all dead and dying, 
and instead of that we were having a garden-party. We 
were, and in honor of their arrival. — Mrs. Chauncey 
Goodrich. 

Sobs and fears and laughter akin to tears, hand 
clasp, cheers and prayers of thanksgiving. And so we 
welcomed the Allied Relief Force on that day of God's 
wonderful deliverance. — Mrs. Inglis. 

The Legation had been transformed into a Midway 
Plaisauce, and our troops were hardly noticeable as 
they made their way into its teeming courts. Their 
welcome was not a noisy one; for the members 
of our little American community were still busy with 
the routine work whose faithful performance had been 
the means of preserving the lives of that vast company, 
and the few who, mingled with the crowd, tried to wave 
and shout a welcome, found their hearts swelling with 
a deep thankfulness which stilled hand and voice. Then 
as we looked into the haggard faces of those men who 
had made that terrible forced march through the summer 
heat to save our lives, men who were too weary to 
respond to our welcome, men who- had left beloved com- 
rades on the way, dead or insane from heat and fatigue, 
we felt that some shadows must be painted into this 
last happy picture of the siege of Peking. — Miss Luella 
Miner. 

But the Legation hardly afforded standing room for 



394 SIEGE DAYS 

the multitudes now filling the tennis court, Midway 
Plaisance and every other place. It was one great tan- 
gle of besieged and rescuers, men, women, and horses, 
(principally men, however), faces black, white and yel- 
low. Something must be done with them. The crowd of 
us standing near the bell tower were given an object les- 
son of how troops opened the gates, as a hole was blown 
with dynamite in the adjoining court, the Imperial 
carriage park, where the elephant chariots were kept. 
The Sikhs camped out here, the English and Ameri- 
cans going to the sacred places in the southern part of 
the Southern City, the Temple of Heaven and the 
Temple of Agriculture. An examination of the carriage 
park showed us what we had escaped. — A. H. 

Evidently the Chinese did not expect the troops so 
soon, and we think they had planned to blow us up 
that very night, for some big mines were found all pre- 
pared with powder and fuse ready to light, enough to 
blow up half the Legation, they say. — Dr. Mackey. 

After the troops had marched out, two men in khaki 
suits, remained seated at the base of the bell tower. We 
soon learned that they were reporters from Manila, who 
had marched with the troops, and had shared all the 
privations of the army. One of the ladies brought out 
some bowls of the pony soup we were to have for supper. 
The men said it was the best soup they had ever tasted. 
— Dr. Terry. 

Our danger was great, but God's omnipotent hand 
saved us. The stories we hear of missionary friends, 



SIEGE DAYS 395 

their sufferings, in many cases their murder, make us 
heart-sick. We cannot speak of Paotingfu friends to 
each other. — Mrs. Inglis. 

The rest of the afternoon was full of the wildest ex- 
citement and joy. Mr. Edward Lowry had come with 
the troops, also Mr. Lewis of the Y. M. C. A., and Mr. 
Brown of the Methodist Mission, and from them we 
learned many things about Tung-chou, Tientsin and 
other parts of our mission — Miss M. E. Andrews. 

How we clapped Ed. Lowry when he came into the 
chapel while we were at supper! And in the evening, 
how we gathered around Dr. Smith's little booth, first 
to hear the cablegram he had prepared to send home, 
a verse from our "Freedom Psalm," the 124th — "Our 
soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers ; 
the snare is broken and we are escaped." And then 
how breathless we all stood around the little booth 
while Mr. Brown from within retailed the news to 
the assembled crowd, telling of the world at large, and 
how it had conducted itself during the past two months, 
and especially of the siege of Tientsin. And then we 
asked again the question that lay deep in our hearts. 
That afternoon when our troops came in, we had de- 
manded news of the reporters, and first of all about 
Paotingfu. Oh, the saddest day of the siege was that 
day when it was lifted ! Eyes that had shed no tears 
during the whole siege were wet then. And yet they 
gave us no details. It was a simple "No," when we 
asked if anything had been heard from Paotingfu. But 
no news after these two months meant so much ! 
And so now we asked the same question of Mr. 



396 SIEGE DAYS 

Brown. Then a shudder passed through us as he 
told how, on examining the records in the vice- 
roy's yamen after its capture by the foreign sol- 
diers, a document had been found from the head 
official in Paotingfu stating how he had beheaded the 
foreigners in Paotingfu, and how the next day copious 
showers of much-needed rain had fallen. The letter 
closed by advising the Tientsin official to do the same, 
that the sacrifice might be followed by a like good result, 
and that they might hope for a good harvest. 

Oh, blind officials — a rain is indeed to follow the pre- 
cious sacrifice, and it will bring a glorious harvest, and 
we will all sing a glorious Harvest Home then, in the 
day of the Lord's release. And no tear shall dim the re- 
joicing of that day ! 

CHILDREN'S CORNER. 

General Gaselee. 

When the troops came to save us from the Boxers, 
the English general, who led all of the soldiers from 
different countries, was the first to enter the Legation 
with some Sikhs — great tall Indian soldiers with tur- 
bans around their heads. I was pretty white because I 
had been so hungry. When General Gaselee saw me, he 
stopped and asked me how old I was. When I told him 
eight years old, he stooped down and kissed me for the 
sake, he said, of his little girl at home. — Dorothea Good- 
rich. 



LAST HOURS AT THE SIEGE HOSPITAL. 

Last Night. 

I was not on regular hospital duty, much as I should 
have enjoyed it. Perhaps it was well, however, as it 
left me in a more antiseptic condition to attend to any 
emergency cases among the Chinese, Then there were 
the regular housekeeping duties in which we all took 
part, besides the clothing to be made for the rest of 
our marines, and then to assist in our woman's part of 
the defense, viz., making the innumerable sandbags. 

There were four happy nights when I was permitted 
to take the place of one of the night nurses. I was on 
duty the last night of the siege. The firing that night 
was terrific, and a constant rain of bullets poured down 
from every direction. The enemy seemed to be making 
one last determined effort to destroy us. One of their 
generals had promised to exterminate the foreigners in 
five days. The five days had passed, and then the 
cry went out, one day more and the foreigners will all 
be destroyed. That last night had come. Some of the 
men who were convalescent were restlessly moving about. 
Others were too sick to notice what was going on. 
Mitchell, the fearless gunner who had manned the In- 
ternational, was brought in before midnight, wounded 
in the elbow, and placed on a bed on the floor. About 
midnight, above the roar and din of the musketry and 
artillery going on all about us we heard other sounds 

397 



398 SIEGE DAYS 

which we had not heard before. The trained ears of the 
soldiers detected the sound of the machine guns of the 
troops who were coming up in advance, and we knew 
relief was near. While I was giving grnel to a typhoid 
fever patient, the other night nurse came in and said, 
''The troops have come." The news seemed too good to 
be true. There was wild demonstration of joy in some 
parts of the Legation compound, but all was quiet in the 
hospital. — Dr. Edna Terry. 

Last Day. 

At last the end came, the Fourteenth of August, and 
"the troops." The guns of our rescuers had been heard 
in the night, and the morning found everyone restless, 
excited, expectant. About two o'clock there was a great 
running of people past the hospital "going to see the 
troops come in." The hospital was suddenly emptied of 
every one who could get away on foot or on crutches, 
with arms in slings and heads in bandages. They too 
had joined the running crowd; not a soul was left about 
the premises but the nurse on duty and a few patients 
who could not by any possibility get away. A sunny- 
tempered Japanese left alone in a back room waited 
patiently for someone to bring him news. A German 
marine wounded in the head became excited and had to 
be led back to bed every few minutes. In another room 
a Russian wounded in the neck, who had been watched 
most carefully with orders to put him on the operating 
table and call the Surgeon at the first sign of a hemor- 
rage, suddenly disappeared. Intense anxiety was felt for 
a few moments until he was found, made quiet and dis- 



SIEGE DAYS 399 

covered to have received no harm.* By this time the 
crowd was surging back again. Men, women and chil- 
dren running and shouting and hurrahing, "The troops 
are in." 

In their midst ran the men of India's native regi- 
ment, smiling, joyous, waving their arms and shouting 
as wildly as anyone. An American officer, wounded 
while leading a brilliant charge made during the siege, 
and who had wasted in the hospital ever since, with 
great anxiety on his face asked what the noise was all 
about. "The troops are in," the nurse replied. "Impos- 
sible," he answered. She moved the screen and point- 
ed through the window to the black, turbaned soldiers 
passing by. The sick man looked, tears coursed down 
his haggard cheeks as he saw for himself that help had 
come and the terrible siege was ended. "Are you not 
glad?" the nurse inquired. "God knows that I am 
glad," he said. Another officer had been quietly watch- 
ing the excitement from his cot. Though he said noth- 
ing, his face told us that God knew that he also was 
glad. 

With the return of the crowd came work for the 
hospital. The first woman wounded during the siege 
was brought to the operating table. Then one of the 



*Tlie above narrative of Dr. Gloss lacks a little of the 
personal element thus supplied by a friend to whom she told 
the same story. "She does not tell of how in the turmoil 
of the coming of the allies she stood, with hypodermic syringe 
in a hand that trembled with excitement and weariness, over 
one wounded and suffering man, to turn and find the next 
escaped; or how she hunted up the big Russian who was to 
be watched so carefully, and returned to find others gone 
on crutches, or anyhow that they could get away. ' ' 



400 SIEGE DAYS 

Sikhs, who had rushed to our barricade to help defend 
us, was brought in badly wounded in the face and 
shoulder by a bullet. It was while dressing this patient 
that the surgeon who was known as the Saint of the 
Hospital, because of his unvarying kindness and pa- 
tience, for the first time showed some irritation. '^I 
have but two hands; I will be obliged if some one will 
hold this bandage for me," he said to the several assis* 
tants who, with thoughts on the tennis court where the 
American troops were being welcomed, were rendering 
him very ineffectual assistance. They had worked 
through days and nights of attack with shells screaming 
overhead and bullets falling like hail, but this new 
Joy of rescue for the moment unnerved them. 

With the coming of the troops, the wonderful organ- 
ization which had controlled everything ceased. The 
patients in the hospitals were sent to the care of their 
own armies, and in a day the International or Siege 
Hospital became an empty, desolated dwelling-house. — 
Miss A. D. Gloss, M. D. 



SPECIAL PROVIDENCES. 

I have not another thought but of praise and thank- 
fulness that I was allowed to live through those days, 
and to be permitted to see God's hand. 

Annie H. Gowans. 

If there is anyone who thinks the benefit of prayer 
is simply subjective — an exercise to be gone through 
for its effect upon our own minds — or who thinks that 
the business department of the world is run by evolu- 
tion simply, without any margin for special providences, 
that person ought to have been in the Peking siege. 

No wonder it puzzled M. Pichon, the French Min- 
ister, who in his dispatch which sums up the situa- 
tion says: "A general massacre was averted only by 
a series of extraordinary events the origin of which 
was perhaps due less to the will of man than to a 
combination of circumstances impossible to foresee." 

The Chinese came a little nearer to guessing the 
mysterious origin of these "series of extraordinary 
events," when they said they could not kill us until 
they had first shot away the supernatural beings that 
guarded over us in midair. So they aimed high, and 
we were safe, "under the shadow of His wings." 

While our danger was the greatest, and reports of 

401 



40^ SIEGE DAYS 

our massacre had reached the home-land, a prayer 
meeting was held in an upper room, and, almost 
stunned with the news that they had thought was true, 
the godly women there assembled took their sorrow to 
the throne of Grace. After several had spoken and 
prayed one rose up who knew better than anyone there 
the countless dangers which would surround us under 
these circumstances, for she herself had been a mis- 
sionary in this same city of Peking, But she knew also 
the "secret of the Lord,^^ and clear-sighted as a prophet- 
ess of old, she rose and gave her message. "We know 
that any who have survived the danger and anxiety 
have been drawn so close to the Lord that they have 
had visions which will remain with them as long as 
they live." How true that is! Who can ever forget 
the tender love of the Shepherd, the comfort of the 
rod and staff in passing through the Valley of the 
Shadow of Death, the conscious presence of the Lord 
guiding every step ! 

Before hearing from a number a recapitulation of 
some of the great deliverances, the table spread in the 
presence of the enemies, etc., let us call attention by a 
word to the "pastures of tender greenness and waters 
of pleasantness." For not only were the great necessi- 
ties of life, its preservation and nourishment, provided 
by our kind Heavenly Father, but the cravings of our 
finer feelings were satisfied by here and there such a 
beautiful touch of sentiment that it seemed to come 
right from the Father's heart to our own. 

In sitting a moment to rest in front of the chapel 
we might raise our eyes and try. to see if we could not 



SIEGE DAYS 403 

distinguish the path of the screaming shell that seemed 
as if it must leave a crack in the sky. Shell or ball 
or shrapnel, we could never see one, though the air 
was rent with the sound of the weaving of this warp 
and woof of death. But in looking up our eyes would 
meet the pure, bright blue of the heaven above, just 
as beautiful as if it looked down on times of peace. It 
seemed to speak of a calm above all the strife. And 
framing in the blue above were the exquisite fern-like 
leaves of a blossoming tree, all a glory of delicate 
tassels, looking like pink balls of thistle-down, a vision 
of beauty. 

And many a time some unlooked-for mercy would 
come, and with it the thought, as if direct from the 
Father, *^It is necessary for the larger purposes of 
the destinies of nations that you should suffer loss in 
some things. But here is a little love-gift direct from 
the hand of Him who knoweth the fall of the sparrow.'^ 
For instance, was it not a wonderfully tender provision 
of love, when we had no tombstones with which to 
honor our dead, that over in Prince Su's palace should 
be found a large number of porcelain memorial wreaths, 
imported from Europe, enough for every grave ? Thus 
even sentiment was provided for. Cut off from com- 
munication with the outside world, our comrades 
seemed the dearer to us, a blessed compensation. As 
Mrs. Inglis writes, "What friends can ever be cher- 
ished as those who faced death together in the siege 
of Peking?"— A. H. 

But now let us hear of the larger mercies, and let 
many join the chorus in the "Songs of Deliverance." 



404 SIEGE DAYS 

The Lord provided everything necessary. We indeed 
have been as miracuonsly preserved as the Lord's people 
in the Old Testament record. With the exception of 
the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan, I really 
think our deliverances are as remarkable and as mirac- 
ulous. I feel as if I had been brought back from 
the dead. The Lord's mercies have been beyond words 
to describe. — Grace Newton. 

From a letter written after the siege. — You ask 
if we had decided to take poison. I never even 
heard the word poison in regard to ourselves, and 
I am certain no one thought of taking it. We many 
times talked of what we thought might be our end, but 
from the first I felt certain some would live through. 
I did not believe the Boxers would get us all, though 
some might die or be killed. — Miss N. N. Russell. 

I have never heard of clearer evidence of God's care 
than we have had while inside here. In the first place, 
we were all gathered together in time to escape being 
massacred in our homes. Then we were saved from 
starting for Tientsin under a Chinese guard. Then 
we were supplied with food. When we went in, people 
thought we might get along with our stores a week, or at 
the most two weeks (you know the private stores of most 
were burned), but we lived, and ate our three meals a 
day for eight weeks. — Miss Maud Mackey, M. D. 

As the time passes, that wonderful series of Divine 
Providences which led to our deliverance seems more 
and more wonderful. There were so many circum- 
stances and events, such a combination of events, any 



SIEGE DAYS 405 

one of which, if it had been wanting, the results would 
have been disastrous. That great company had come 
together without provision for a single day. Yet the 
place had been specially prepared. Food, water, fuel 
and supplies of various kinds were stored up within 
those lines. The cool weather tended to our health 
and comfort, and the absence of heavy rains made it 
possible for relief to come to us. The native Christians 
were saved, and, as our Minister said, without the help 
of these native men our salvation would have been de- 
spaired of. The place which sheltered the native 
Christians was the key to the situation on the east, 
and holding this protected the Legation. There was 
the timing of the crisis, which came when the Chinese 
were unprepared for it; also the timing of the relief, 
which came before we were totally destroyed. In the 
great emergencies there was always the right man in 
the right place. All these events go to prove that the 
chain of Providences was complete. — Edna G-. Terry. 

We had been able to protect our native Christians 
after many refusals at the beginning. And our having 
them with us gives us a force that makes it possible 
for us to fortify our position and to fight the fierce 
fires. The few foreigners could not have done this 
alone. The foreigners have been able to collect in a 
body in a defensible position. — Mrs. C. E. Ewing. 

Health. Another special providence is the compara- 
tive good health of all. When everyone would naturally 
predict sickness and pestilence, on the whole all kept 
well, and some who were very low have largely recov- 
ered. Only the babies do not get better. 



406 SIEGE DAYS 

Preservation of life. Still another thing that is so 
remarkable that nothing else than a miracle can ex- 
plain it is the preservation of life in the midst of con- 
stant firing. Of course, during any special attack we 
stay indoors (the ladies and children), but stray shots 
are coming all the time. Men, women and little chil- 
dren are continually passing back and forth through the 
compound, and yet not one civilian has been seriously 
hurt here. Shells are bursting over our heads and fall- 
ing in fragments. Solid balls from four to fourteen 
pounds in weight have entered dwelling-houses and 
pierced many walls, but in all this compound (English 
legation) only two persons have been killed, and these 
were marines. Even the soldiers, who some of them 
know God's name only to take it in vain, have borne 
testimony that nothing but the power of God could 
thus preserve life. In their own posts of danger, where 
many have been killed, they recognize the same power 
as keeping them from being entirely wiped out. Just 
think of it! Less than 500 trained men holding out 
for nearly two months against thousands and thousands 
of Chinese soldiers, besides multitudes of Boxers, and 
with no artillery until the capture of the "Interna- 
tional.^' 

Some people kept account of the number of shells 
thrown, and there were 3,900 during the siege. It 
seems very strange, when we think of the vast number 
of bullets and shells that have fallen into our com- 
pound, that not a missionary was hurt. There were 
many narrow escapes, but we always escaped. 

Dr. Leonard, two others and I lived in the Legation 



SIEGE DAYS 407 

smoking-room. Four cannon balls struck the roof of 
that room while we were there, but the fifth came 
through while we were all out to supper — the first time 
we had been out during that day. When we came back 
there was a big hole in the ceiling and a dent in the 
floor. — Dr. Mackey. 

Stepping out of the door when the shells were burst- 
ing overhead, I often thought, "Another step and then 
perhaps the end," and the end did come for several 
just that way. — Mrs. Inglis. 

It would have been very easy at any time, especially 
at first, for the enemy to make a fatal breach in 
our walls and wipe us out, none being left to teU the 
tale. All the reasons why they did not do so will never 
be known till the Judgment Day, but one peep behind 
the scenes may show possibilities. After the siege was 
lifted a coolie, in talking with his former mistress, said : 
*'One night we feared they would finish you. The Eed 
and the Yellow Boxers agreed upon a certain night to 
make a concerted attack and kill every one of you after 
breaking down the walls. But while they were drawn 
up there, waiting for the signal to begin, they fell out 
among themselves, and the next morning cart after 
cart carried away the dead bodies, packed like a load of 
pigs."— A. H. 

It must be an eye-opener to them that a few hundred 
could hold out against their thousands and an entire 
city. They said at first that in two days we would all 
be in their hands, and it is now two months; but it 
has not been by might nor power ^of men, but of God. 



408 SIEGE DAYS 

There have heen as wonderful providences and miracles 
as in the leading of the Jews out of Egypt. — Miss 
Russell. 

And how the Lord rescued us in time of fire, either 
by sending rain or by changing the direction of the wind, 
until even the Chinese said "The Lord put out the 
fires.'^— A. H. 

We have had more thrilKng adventures and hair- 
breadth escapes than we care for, and have become 
acquainted with the horrors of war. The summer has 
been a trying one in many ways; but God's grace has 
always been sufficient. We have had a quietness and 
peace in our hearts which neither crackling flames, whis- 
tling bullets nor booming cannon could frighten away. 
Why our lives were spared, when so many as worthy 
as we were horribly tortured to death, only God can 
tell. It seems as though it must have been because 
60 many were praying for us. — Emma E. Martin, M. D. 

The perils of our surroundings revealed as never 
before God's special care. Many promises were like 
the stars that are visible only in the dark. We did not 
need to question under what circumstances David wrote 
'^The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my de- 
liverer." 

There was devout thanksgiving and praise for our 
own deliverance, but sorrow when we remembered our 
fellow missionaries and native Christians who had per- 
ished. It is a sad thought that they will never more 
be there to welcome us, yet we do rejoice that they 




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SIEGE DAYS 409 

were counted worthy to suffer. Our prayer for China 
is that "the things which have happened may fall out 
rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel !" — Edna G. 
Terry, M. D. 

"The snare is broken and we are escaped. Our help 
is in the name of the Lord/' 



TE DEUM. 
Julia Wakd Howe. 

(In celebration of the great deliverance of the prisoners 
of Peking, August, 1900.J 

They're safe ! Their way was bounded 

By Death, in dreadful mien, 
While still their camp surrounded 

A spirit-band unseen. 

A shield of blazoned glory 

God's love did interpose. 
Where waved the banner gory 

Uplifted by their foes. 

Unfurl the standard, Christians ! 

Yes ! raise it with a shout 
Before the hordes Philistian — 

The slaves of dream and doubt. 

Eepeat the song of Moses, 

Who from the shadow-land 
Where the dark Sphinz reposes 

Led forth his chosen band. 

Glad Miriam's cymbals, clashing, 
Shall cadence David's psalm; 

410 






SIEGE DAYS 41] 

Deborah's song, outflashing, 
Shall wake the slumbrous palm. 

We, in our modem lyre, 

Will find some hidden chord 
To sound, with heaven's own choir. 

The glory of the Lord. 

To him whose way is shrouded, 
But who, through day and night, 

His purpose keeps unclouded, 
The victory of Eight — 

To him, in holy rapture, 

Our psean shall ascend. 
Unloosed, the heathen capture, 

God, our Eternal Friend! 

— Christian Herald. 



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